Influência das fases do ciclo menstrual nas lesões musculoesqueléticas em atletas: uma revisão narrativa

Abstract

The participation of women in the sports scene was made official by the International Olympic Committee in 1919, from this date the number of female participants in the Olympic games has only increased. With the increasing participation of women who practice sports, including in high performance, it is important to understand the difference between the sexes in the rates of risk, risk factors, prevention and treatment. The menstrual cycle of athletes has been the focus of current studies. Knowledge about menstrual cycle is of great importance due to its physiological functions for understanding the various biological changes and their influences on the female organism. The present study aimed to conduct a literature review on the influence of the phases of the menstrual cycle on musculoskeletal injuries in athletes. A narrative-type literature review was carried out. The present review included 19 articles that analyzed the effects caused by sex hormones during menstrual cycle in women who are physically active and over 18 years old. High exposure to estrogen causes effects related to increased joint laxity and motor control, during the ovulation phase and during the beginning of the luteal phase. The woman is accustomed to cyclical hormonal variations, the effects do not become so harmful within a regular menstrual cycle, but in an irregular menstrual cycle as variations are not expected which can increase the risk of injury. It is suggested to carry out further studies in order to find parameters to be able to control or minimize these unexpected hormonal variations.