---
title: Can hormones from the menstrual cycle cause sacroiliac joint inflammation?
description: It is possible but not yet proven. This review suggests that hormone changes during the late menstrual cycle might temporarily cause inflammation in sacroilia
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/hormonal-modulation-and-transient-sacroiliac-joint-inflammation-a-narrative-2025/
---

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- Can hormones from the menstrual cycle cause sacroiliac joint inflammation?

Interview study, 2025

# Can hormones from the menstrual cycle cause sacroiliac joint inflammation?

It is possible but not yet proven. This review suggests that hormone changes during the late menstrual cycle might temporarily cause inflammation in sacroiliac joints, especially in women with PCOS.

 Early or limited evidence

This is a review of research on women during pregnancy, postpartum, and with PCOS.

## What they did

Reviewed published research on how hormones (relaxin and estradiol) affect sacroiliac joint structure and inflammation. Looked at studies of pregnancy, postpartum, and hormonal conditions like PCOS. Combined results from imaging studies, animal studies, and biomechanical research.

## What they found

In pregnancy and after birth, 58-80% of women showed bone marrow swelling in the sacroiliac joint on imaging scans. These changes appeared to be hormone-driven, not true inflammation that causes permanent damage. In labs, relaxin and estradiol broke down collagen and loosened ligaments. In other joints, relaxin spikes caused instability and small injuries.

## What it means for you

This review proposes that hormone surges during the late menstrual cycle might temporarily damage sacroiliac joint tissue in some women, especially those with PCOS. This could explain why some women have cyclical joint pain. The main limitation is that this is a proposed theory - actual studies testing this have not been done yet.

58-80%

Prevalence of bone marrow swelling in early postpartum

## About the study

Original title Hormonal Modulation and Transient Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation: A Narrative Review With a Hypothesis on Premenstrual Sacroiliitis in Hyperandrogenic Women Authors Sepideh Tahsini Tekantapeh, Mehrzad Hajialilo, Afshin Iranpour Journal International Journal of Drug Research in Clinics Year 2025 Study design Interview study Read the paper [doi.org/10.34172/ijdrc.2025.e18](https://doi.org/10.34172/ijdrc.2025.e18)

## Topics

[Reproductive hormone sensitivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-hormone-sensitivity/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-pcos/)

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