Cox admitted to using anabolic steroids from 2001 to 2004. Although a formal investigation is currently underway by the International Olympic Committee, it is likely that the entire relay team will lose their gold medals (Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2009).
The issue is complicated because Cox only ran in the preliminaries during the Olympics, but did not run in the final relay. The IOC will need to determine if only Cox loses her medal or if the entire gold medal team will lose their medals.
What are Anabolic Steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are a synthetic form of testosterone. They are “anabolic” because they stimulate the growth of tissue and are also “androgenic” in that they stimulate the secondary sex characteristics of males. Although banned at all levels of competition, athletes take anabolic steroids primarily because of the effect of the steroid on increasing strength, decreasing body fat, increasing muscle mass, and decreasing anaerobic recovery time.
History of Anabolic Steroid Use in Women’s Sports
There is evidence of steroid use in female track and field strength sports (Eastern European Communist bloc countries) as early as the 1968 Olympic Games. Through the years the use of steroids in women’s track and field spread to “sprinters, middle-distance runners, swimmers, rowers, and various winter sporting events” (Anabolic Steroids in Sports and Exercise, 2000).
Although steroid use in women’s sports began at the elite national level, there is evidence of steroid use at the collegiate level as well in a number of sports including:
- basketball
- volleyball
- soccer
- swimming
- lacrosse
- softball
Physiological Effects of Anabolic Steroids in Females
Because of the androgenic properties of anabolic steroids, there are significant physiological changes that can occur in females. The changes documented in the literature are not reported in all users. Physiological changes include (Anabolic Steroids in Sports and Exercise, 2000):
- increased strength
- deepening of the voice
- increased facial hair
- decreased body fat
- increased aggressiveness
- increased body hair
- increased libido
- decreased breast size
- severe acne
- loss of scalp hair
- menstrual irregularities
- fluid retention
According to Landry, G. & Bernhardt, D. (Anabolic Steroids in Sports and Exercise, 2000), some of the androgenic side effects may become permanent including a deep voice, pattern baldness, and excessive body hair.
Psychological Effects of Anabolic Steroids
It is well known that two of the psychological effects of anabolic steroids are mood swings and aggressive behavior thus coining the term “'roid rage” for athletes that exhibit violent behavior while on anabolic steroids. Hallucinations and psychosis have also been reported. Last, there is evidence that withdrawal from anabolic steroids may have the additional side effect of profound depression (Essentials of Primary Care Sports Medicine, 2003).
Use of Anabolic Steroids in Female Adolescents
Because anabolic steroids have the effects of decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, young females are turning to this illegal drug as the weight loss method of choice. There are recent media reports of an increase in the use of anabolic steroids in the adolescent female population for the purpose of losing body fat and shaping physique.
Many young female athletes feel pressure to lose weight for their sport, especially in sports in which the athlete is judged by appearance (gymnastics and dance) or in sports in which the sport attire is form fitting, tight, and/or very small (swimming/diving, volleyball, and track and field).
Parents and coaches of young female athletes need to be vigilant for extreme changes in appearance (dramatic loss of body fat and increase in muscle mass) and/or behavior (mood swings and aggressive behavior) that may indicate an athlete may be using anabolic steroids.
Educating young women about the physiological and psychological side effects of anabolic steroids is an important step to curbing the use of anabolic steroids in young athletes. Understanding why elite athletes continue to take anabolic steroids knowing that they are a banned substance and in light of all of the published research regarding the psychological and physiological side effects remains a mystery.
The cost of taking anabolic steroids to Cox include the loss of respect by her peers in the world of competitive track and field, the loss of her gold medal (all Olympic athletes who medal are automatically drug tested), and the potential loss of gold medals for her teammates. Cox took the steroids in the hopes of winning it all, but in reality, lost everything she was hoping for.
Terry Zeigler - Educating through writing with over twenty-five years of experience as a Kinesiology Professor and Certified Athletic Trainer.
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