Fertility Drug Makes the Big Leagues
Posted by Osagie Obasogie May 9, 2009
Biopolitical Times
We here at Biopolitical Times have talked about the use of fertility drugs in various assisted reproduction procedures that may lead to harmful outcomes, such as ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. But the suspension of LA Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez sheds another light on how these drugs are used.
Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for flunking a drug test; Major League Baseball officials detected the drug HCG in his system. HCG is a hormone produced by pregnant women that is also used by women with fertility issues to stimulate their ovaries to produce more eggs.
So, why was Manny taking HCG? That’s the other side of this drug. The presence of HCG in an athlete’s system strongly suggests steroid use; HCG is often used to restore users’ ability to produce testosterone. Steroid use shrinks testosterone levels and prolonged use can lead to a number of undesirable outcomes. Taking regimens of HCG is a way for steroid users to jumpstart natural testosterone production. Manny isn’t the first baseball player to be caught using HCG, but he may very well be the most prominent.
This is a sad day for Manny, who was rejuvenating his career (and image) after an ugly break up with the Boston Red Sox last year. It’s also a sad day for Major League Baseball, which seems to not be able to catch a break with never-ending A-Rod scandals, a half empty Taj Mahal baseball stadium in the Bronx that shoots home runs out of right field like it’s batting practice, and yet another likely hall of famer that will have asterisks next to his achievements.
But it’s not a good day for the fertility industry either. In the post-Octomom era where Jeffrey Steinberg’s “suspension” of a designer baby program may be lifted any day now, the last thing it needs is a high-profile connection to Major League Baseball’s steroid scandal.
Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for flunking a drug test; Major League Baseball officials detected the drug HCG in his system. HCG is a hormone produced by pregnant women that is also used by women with fertility issues to stimulate their ovaries to produce more eggs.
So, why was Manny taking HCG? That’s the other side of this drug. The presence of HCG in an athlete’s system strongly suggests steroid use; HCG is often used to restore users’ ability to produce testosterone. Steroid use shrinks testosterone levels and prolonged use can lead to a number of undesirable outcomes. Taking regimens of HCG is a way for steroid users to jumpstart natural testosterone production. Manny isn’t the first baseball player to be caught using HCG, but he may very well be the most prominent.
This is a sad day for Manny, who was rejuvenating his career (and image) after an ugly break up with the Boston Red Sox last year. It’s also a sad day for Major League Baseball, which seems to not be able to catch a break with never-ending A-Rod scandals, a half empty Taj Mahal baseball stadium in the Bronx that shoots home runs out of right field like it’s batting practice, and yet another likely hall of famer that will have asterisks next to his achievements.
But it’s not a good day for the fertility industry either. In the post-Octomom era where Jeffrey Steinberg’s “suspension” of a designer baby program may be lifted any day now, the last thing it needs is a high-profile connection to Major League Baseball’s steroid scandal.