Hormonal Contraceptives May Provide Protection from Knee Ligament Injury Requiring Surgery, An Unexpected Benefit of Hormonal Birth Control.

Abstract

Women taking hormonal birth control have a statistically decreased risk of requiring an anterior cruciate ligament injury leading to surgery. The protective effect of hormonal birth control is evident irrespective of whether by device, oral medication, or systemic administration. Additionally, the benefits are seen with diverse products. Due to the complexity and interactions of hormones on physiology, the mechanism of this protection is unclear, yet it has been shown that hormonal fluctuations affect postural stability, cognitive performance, and brain function including risk aversion. Finally, this effect is not seen in women between 15-19 years of age, although data collection may be poor on this age group for this topic.