Impact of oral contraceptive use and menstrual phases on patellar tendon morphology, biochemical composition and biomechanical properties in female athletes
- Authors:
-
- Hansen, Mette Damborg ;
- Couppe, Christian ;
- Hansen, Christina ;
- Skovgaard, Dorthe ;
- Kovanen, Vuokko ;
-
Larsen, Jytte Overgaard
;
Close
0000-0003-1909-5321
Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Københavns Universitet - Aagaard, Per ;
- Magnusson, S Peter ;
- Kjaer, Michael
- DOI:
- 10.1152/japplphysiol.01255.2012
- Abstract:
- Introduction: Gender differences exist with regards to ligament and tendon injuries. Lower collagen synthesis has been observed in exercising females vs. males, and in users of oral contraceptives (OC) vs non-users, but it is unknown if OC will influence tendon biomechanics of females undergoing regular training. Material and Method: 30 female athletes (handball players, 18-30 yrs) were recruited: Fifteen long-term users of OC (7.0±0.6 yrs) and 15 non-users (> 5 yrs). Synchronized values of patellar tendon elongation (obtained by ultrasonography) and tendon force were sampled during ramped isometric knee extensor MVC to estimate mechanical tendon properties. Further, tendon cross-sectional area and length were measured from MRI images, and tendon biopsies were obtained for analysis of tendon fibril characteristics and collagen cross-linking. Results: Overall, no difference in tendon biomechanical properties, tendon fibril characteristics or collagen cross-linking was observed between the OC-users and non-users, or between the different phases of the menstrual cycle. In athletes, tendon CSA in the preferred jumping leg tended to be larger than the contra-lateral leg (p=0.09), and a greater absolute (p=0.01) and normalized tendon stiffness (p=0.02), as well as a lower strain (p=0.04) were observed in the jumping leg compared to the contra-lateral leg. Conclusion: The results indicate that long-term OC use or menstrual phases does not influence structure or mechanical properties of the patellar tendon in female team handball athletes.
- Type:
- Journal article
- Language:
- English
- Published in:
- Journal of Applied Physiology, 2013, Vol 114, Issue 8, p. 998-1008
- Keywords:
- Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Athletes; Biological Markers; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biopsy; Case-Control Studies; Collagen; Contraceptives, Oral; Cross-Sectional Studies; Exercise Test; Extracellular Matrix; Female; Humans; Isometric Contraction; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Menstrual Cycle; Muscle, Skeletal; Patellar Ligament; Time Factors; Young Adult
- Main Research Area:
- Medical science
- Publication Status:
- Published
- Review type:
- Peer Review
- Submission year:
- 2013
- Scientific Level:
- Scientific
- ID:
- 240699765
