Oral contraceptives and anterior cruciate ligament injury

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE In a number of sports,women have higher injury rates of the anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)than do men.Some have postulated that estrogen may predispose women to ACL injuries.As progestins,the active compounds in oral contraceptives(OCs),disrupt the normal menstrual cycle,suppressing estrogen levels,this study assessed whether the use of oral contraceptives may be protective against ACL injury.METHODS This case controlled study mined information from an insurance database collected from 2002 through 2012 concerning women ages 15 to 39 years.Subjects who underwent ACL reconstruction were compared to three matched controls.Cases had at least 90 days