Jetztinberlin t1_itphuca wrote on October 25, 2022 at 11:03 AM

Reply to comment by spicemyrice in Do ligaments (ACL) build up to an injury or just suddenly fail? by Toast1185

You're correct, and it is so frustrating that an actual orthopedist, if their claim is true, is actively uninformed about half the world's issues with cyclical joint instability. Something something medical misogyny :(

AquaDoctor t1_itvtokx wrote on October 26, 2022 at 5:57 PM

Thanks for pointing that out. I didnt realize how early in pregnancy the Relaxin was released. However, I did do some research on the levels and while it does exist during a normal menstrual cycle, it is about 50 times higher during pregnancy. All the research I found recently in response to your post pointed me toward Estrogen being the main culprit in ligament laxity. But again, always open to new info so I love the questions your post raises.

Your claim regarding medical misogyny seems extraordinary however. Do you really feel that I hate women because of my post? I hope not.

Jetztinberlin t1_itvvce8 wrote on October 26, 2022 at 6:08 PM

I appreciate your taking your own advice and researching to better educate yourself! It's always heartening to see that. No, unfortunately medical misogyny is a far larger issue than your comment, and I meant it more in the widespread sense of "here's someone who really should know this, as a professional regarding a common situation that could affect all their female patients / half the world's population, and yet they don't, very possibly through no fault of their own but because this very basic stuff about female anatomy isn't considered important enough to be taught." Medical misogyny is a pretty common catchphrase for a lot of these issues, whether it's failing to address how teaching male anatomy as the default does a disservice to women, to how much longer it can take women to get diagnosed correctly, etc.

FYI wrt relaxin, yes, sure, lower in the luteal phase than during pregnancy, but yes, still present sufficiently to increase joint issues! (As someone with hypermobility disorder I can validate this personally to boot!) IIRC oestrogen increases expression of relaxin, so they're not unrelated. You might enjoy this writeup: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.827512/full .

AquaDoctor t1_iu0qdcu wrote on October 27, 2022 at 6:17 PM

That article review link you sent was interesting. "...the premise of this review is based entirely on inductive reasoning. Additionally, consideration of lower-level of evidence literature and inconclusive literature was necessary."

Here's a group that seems to focus on this issue specifically:

https://www.hypermobility.org/hormones-and-hypermobility

"...studies have not demonstrated a clear relationship between the level of relaxin and the degree of laxity. Other factors must be involved."

Seems like a lot more research is warranted. But it could be very interesting.