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Cited by 58Doping in SportsHormonal and reproductive studiesSports Performance and Training

Androgens and athletic performance of elite female athletes

Bermon, Stéphane·2017·Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity
DOI 10.1097/med.0000000000000335
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Abstract

Purpose of review: During the last decades androgens have been used illicitly by athletes of both genders. Because of some obvious ethical limitations, mechanisms underlying the performance-enhancing effects of these hormone or drugs, as well as the magnitude of their effects, have been poorly addressed. This review aims to combine findings from field and from the laboratory to provide new insights into the ergogenic properties of endogenous or exogenous androgens on female athletes. Recent findings: Results obtained from recent neuropsychological studies indicated that testosterone, and not the sex chromosomes, is responsible for the sexual differentiation of visuospatial neural activation. These findings could explain how males and hyperandrogenic females benefit from androgens performance-enhancing effects in sports where visuospatial abilities are closely linked to better performance. Another study conducted on elite female athletes showed that, in some athletic events, where muscle power is of critical importance, individuals with the highest free testosterone concentration significantly outperformed competitors with the lowest free testosterone concentration. Summary: In some sport events, female athletes with high or very high androgen levels (whether it is from endogenous or exogenous origin) have an estimated competitive benefit of 2–5% over those with androgen levels within the normal female range. These findings are to be taken into account in the actual controversy about eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in women's sports.

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Crossref · 10.1097/med.0000000000000335

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37 of 37 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Hyperandrogenic 46,XY DSD female athletes in the 2011 IAAF World Championships were 140 times more prevalent (0.7% of athletes had testosterone concentrations >15.6 nmol/L) compared to 0.005% reported in the general population.

    “Hyperandrogenic 46, XY DSD female athletes in the 2011 IAAF World Championships were 140 times more prevalent (0.7% of athletes had testosterone concentrations of > 15.6 nmol/L [20]) compared to 0.005% [20, 21] reported in the general population [22, 23]”

    From Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement (2021) · cites this paper as [23]

  • There was an average performance reduction of approximately 5.7% in the best performances of three female distance runners who had their testosterone concentrations suppressed from 21-25 to 2 nmol/L over 2 years.

    “there was an average performance reduction of approximately 5.7% in the best performances of three female distance runners who had their testosterone concentrations suppressed from 21–25 to 2 nmol/L over 2 years [23].”

    From Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement (2021) · cites this paper as [23]

  • Oxygen-carrying capacity in transgender women is most likely reduced with testosterone suppression, with a concomitant performance penalty estimated at 2-5% for the female athletic population.

    “Oxygen-carrying capacity in transgender women is most likely reduced with testosterone suppression, with a concomitant performance penalty estimated at 2–5% for the female athletic population [83].”

    From Transgender Women in the Female Category of Sport: Perspectives on Testosterone Suppression and Performance Advantage (2021) · cites this paper as [83]

  • Among elite athletes with circulating testosterone in the male range due to DSDs, athletic performance was reduced by an average of 5.7% when circulating testosterone was suppressed from the male range to <10 nmol/L.

    “Similarly, among elite athletes with circulating testosterone in the male range due to DSDs, comparable findings of athletic performance reduced by an average of 5.7% when circulating testosterone was suppressed from the male range to <10 nmol/L (176).”

    From Circulating Testosterone as the Hormonal Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance (2018) · cites this paper as [176]

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Authors
Bermon, S.
Affiliations
Université Côte d'Azur (FR)
Corresponding author
Bermon, Stéphane
ORCID
Bermon, Stéphane
Venue
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2017-06
Volume
24
Issue
3
Pages
246-251
ISSN
  • 1752-296X (ISSN-L)
  • 1752-2978
DOI
10.1097/med.0000000000000335
OpenAlex
W2591092164
Cited by
58
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4
FWCI
1.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Current Opinion in Endocrinology Diabetes and Obesity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Doping in Sports
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
Keywords
androgens, female athletes, athletic performance, testosterone, hyperandrogenism, performance-enhancing drugs, ergogenic aids, visuospatial ability, sexual differentiation of the brain, free testosterone, muscle power, sports eligibility, sex differences in sport
MeSH terms
Androgens, Doping in Sports, Female, Humans, Male, Testosterone, Hyperandrogenism, Athletic Performance, Athletes, Performance-Enhancing Substances

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