Sex, health, and athletes | BMJ
▻http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2926?ijkey=MxmXHpwfhnnCN2O&keytype=ref
Recent policy introduced by the International Olympic Committee to regulate hyperandrogenism in female athletes could lead to unnecessary treatment and may be unethical, argue Rebecca Jordan-Young, Peter Sönksen, and Katrina Karkazis
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Do the new policies undermine ethical care?
Approaching hyperandrogenism as a sports problem raises ethical concerns about designating possibly benign physical variation as “unhealthy,” resulting in potentially unnecessary medicosurgical intervention and possible neglect of the long term consequences of interventions.
key messages
– New policies require women athletes known or suspected to have hyperandrogenism to lower testosterone in order to compete
– The regulations’ aim of lowering testosterone regardless of athletes’ health, symptoms, and fertility goals conflicts with the medical approach to hyperandrogenism
– Four young women athletes have had medically unnecessary gonadectomy to comply with the policies
– Sports policies regulating hyperandrogenism in women athletes are not in keeping with best ethical practice