Help me out letsrun: Why would Kenya spend $13,000 to test 2 men for possess elevated women's hormonal levels?

Training Advice/Discussion General

9 years ago 12/19/2014 6:00pm EST

I've been trying to develop a good understanding of the Intersex issue in track and field as I think it's a huge thing for women's athletics, but am confused by something I read in Capital FM tonight:http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/2014/12/19/ak-asked-to-conduct-gender-tests-on-five/

ALEX ISABOKE wrote:
At the same world governing body IAAF has called on AK to carry out gender tests on three female and two male athletes suspected to possess elevated hormonal levels of opposite gender.
According to Kiplagat, the exercise is too dear for them with lack of such facilities with country as he pegged the cost of each test at Sh600,000 (USD6,629).

Why would it be an issue for a man to have elevated female hormone's? I'd assume they wouldn't be a great athlete. Anyone know why they'd bother to test for that?

Masking agent? To be politically correct? Or does it somehow help their performance?

9 years ago 12/19/2014 6:49pm EST

re: rojo

It can help win a close one at the tape.

9 years ago 12/19/2014 7:06pm EST

re: rojo

yeah I don't get it either. maybe something lost in translation? I have noticed you seem to bring up this gender thing a lot.

9 years ago 12/19/2014 7:14pm EST

re: rojo

Hormone effects are more complicated than that. I'm not a biologist but is it possible artificially elevating estrogen levels (for example) would cause the body to elevate testosterone levels in response?

9 years ago 12/19/2014 9:41pm EST

re: Not a biologist

Do they still test for T/ET levels? Could be someone trying to skip through on the ratio?

9 years ago 12/19/2014 9:49pm EST

re: rojo

rojo wrote:
I've been trying to develop a good understanding of the Intersex issue in track and field as I think it's a huge thing for women's athletics, but am confused by something I read in Capital FM tonight:
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/2014/12/19/ak-asked-to-conduct-gender-tests-on-five/
ALEX ISABOKE wrote:
At the same world governing body IAAF has called on AK to carry out gender tests on three female and two male athletes suspected to possess elevated hormonal levels of opposite gender.
According to Kiplagat, the exercise is too dear for them with lack of such facilities with country as he pegged the cost of each test at Sh600,000 (USD6,629).
Why would it be an issue for a man to have elevated female hormone's? I'd assume they wouldn't be a great athlete. Anyone know why they'd bother to test for that?
Masking agent? To be politically correct? Or does it somehow help their performance?

elevated ESTROGEN levels are a response to cycling off of a steroid cycle. if you do not use an estrogen blocker when you cycle off steroids then your estrogen levels rebound dramatically. elevated estrogen levels in men can indicate steroid use with improper PCT (post cycle therapy)

9 years ago 12/19/2014 11:47pm EST

re: yeah...

Women have higher pain tolerance (why more women collapse at the finish line), so w/ female hormones, this might enable them to push through races harder...

9 years ago 12/20/2014 12:11am EST

re: rojo

excess testosterone is converted to estrogen by fat cells via the enzyme aromatase, therefore excess estrogen in males could be a result of high non-physioloigcal levels of testosterone.

9 years ago 12/20/2014 12:45am EST

re: NOP Skeptic

NOP Skeptic wrote:
Women have higher pain tolerance..

Thats not true.

9 years ago 12/20/2014 10:26am EST

re: malmo

Human horionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone that that is indicative of a positive pregnancy test is often used to restart natural testosterone production after someone does a cycle of anabolic steroids or to prevent testicular atrophy while cycling.

Manny Ramirez and Brian Cushing were both suspended after testing positive for hCG.

9 years ago 12/20/2014 10:31am EST

re: Once an Expert

9 years ago 12/20/2014 11:59am EST

re: medstudent

All the suggestions so far about possible reasons a male runner might have elevated estrogen may be true, but in my opinion, they miss the point of the article. The article clearly implies that there are 2 Kenyan athletes competing as men who might actually be women.

My best guess is that it just isn't true, and that Isaiah Kiplagat is full of sh*t. I think he's just trying to make it sound like drug testing is this super-complicated thing that is very difficult and expensive for his organization. I'm sure it is relatively expensive, but gender testing would only be a small part of it, and I'm pretty sure the issue of women competing as men in distance running is non-existent, for obvious reasons.

9 years ago 12/20/2014 12:17pm EST

re: rojo

'Why would it be an issue for a man to have elevated female hormone's?'

It would mean they are a woman competing as a man. A gender test is not a doping test

9 years ago 12/20/2014 7:28pm EST

re: ukathleticscoach

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