Background:Recently, female sports participation has increased, and there is a tendency for women to experience more symptoms and variable presentation after sport-related concussion (SRC). The purpose of this study was to determine whether sex differences exist in time to begin a return-to-play (RTP) progression after an initial SRC.Hypothesis:After initial SRC, female athletes (11-20 years old) would take longer to begin an RTP progression compared with age-matched male athletes.Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:A total of 579 participants (365 males [mean age, 15.0 ± 1.7 years], 214 females [mean age, 15.2 ± 1.5 years]), including middle school, high school, and collegiate athletes who participated in various sports and experienced an initial SRC were included and underwent retrospective chart review. The following information was collected: sex, age at injury, sport, history of prior concussion, date of injury, and date of initiation of RTP progression. Participants with a history of more than 1 concussion or injury sustained from non–sport-related activity were excluded.Results:Despite American football having the greatest percentage (49.2%) of sport participation, female athletes took significantly longer to start an RTP progression after an initial SRC (29.1 ± 26.3 days) compared with age-matched male athletes (22.7 ± 18.3 days; P = 0.002).Conclusion:On average, female athletes took approximately 6 days longer to begin an RTP progression compared with age-matched male athletes. This suggests that sex differences exist between athletes, aged 11 to 20 years, with regard to initiation of an RTP progression after SRC.Clinical Relevance:Female athletes may take longer to recover after an SRC, and therefore, may take longer to return to sport. Sex should be considered as part of the clinical decision-making process when determining plan of care for this population.
The tubal environment holds a strategic location with respect to the reproductive processes. Histological visualization and biochemical analysis have shown that both oviductal tissue activity and fluid constituents are influenced by the hormonal state of the female. Also, tubal epithelial synthetic activity appears to be affected by the proximal embryo. The functional importance of differential oviductal secretions is presently unclear. However, the techniques of in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, and culture aid in defining minimal developmental requirements and effects of cyclic secretions on embryologic events.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.