Abortion doping

Abortion doping refers to the rumoured practice of purposely inducing pregnancy specifically for athletic performance-enhancing benefits, and then aborting the pregnancy. Rumours and allegations began during international sporting events in the mid-twentieth century, and a number of doctors and scientists have made published claims about it since 1988, but it remains a controversial topic, and is often regarded as a myth.

As of 2002, Snopes.com categorises abortion doping as "unproven", concluding that "abortion doping claims, specifically, have their roots in Cold War era rumors, are confirmed only by a single dubious case, are buttressed by speculative science, and are largely amplified in recent years by anti-abortion groups." Referring to Alexandre de Merode's 1988 claim at the First Permanent World Conference on Anti-Doping in Sport, feminist Germaine Greer wrote in 2007 that "there is no real evidence that this has ever been done", and British health journalist Peta Bea found in 2009 that "evidence that it occurred has never been substantiated".

Although female athletes often become pregnant during their careers and immediately before major sports events, and although many athletes have reported increased performance while being pregnant, "abortion doping" refers specifically to deliberate pregnancy with the express aim to increase performance. The stigma and beliefs surrounding abortion doping have been found to have a detrimental effect on female athletes who become pregnant during an active career.

Potential physical benefits

Hormonal and other changes in pregnancy affect physical performance. In the first three months it is known that a woman’s body produces a natural surplus of red blood cells, which are well supplied with oxygen-carrying hemoglobin, in order to support the growing fetus. Other potential advantages are obtained from the surge in hormones that pregnancy induces, predominantly progesterone and estrogen, but also testosterone, which could increase muscle strength. Increases in hormones like relaxin, which loosens the hip joints to prepare for childbirth, may have a performance-enhancing effect on joint mobility. Peter Larkins, an official of the Australian Sports Medicine Association, said that he believed that "the advantage were far outweighed by the drawbacks – of morning sickness and fatigue; which are common in early pregnancy".

Claims

Western media outlets began accusing Soviet countries of abortion doping as early as the 1956 Summer Olympics, and allegations were raised again at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Rumours of abortion doping continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, predominately aimed at East German athletes.

In 1988, Prince Alexandre de Merode, then vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), supported reports that Eastern European athletes were getting artificially inseminated in an attempt to boost athletic performance and then aborting two to three months later. Merode said he knew a Swiss doctor who was performing the procedure.

In 1988, Finnish doctor Risto Erkola told the Sunday Mirror "Now that drug testing is routine, pregnancy is becoming the favourite way of getting an edge on competition". Erkola's comment is frequently cited in discussions on abortion doping. According to the fact-checking website Snopes.com, media reports following this claim were skeptical of it, and "it is not clear if Erkola would have had any first-hand knowledge of Soviet doping practices".

In the Textbook in Physiology and Pathophysiology (1999), Dr. Paul-Erik Paulev, a Danish professor of physiology at the University of Copenhagen, wrote that "in some countries female athletes have become pregnant for 2-3 months, in order to improve their performance just following an abortion." Dr. Paulev's comment is also frequently cited in discussions on abortion doping.

In 1994, a person claiming to be Olga Karasyova, who won a gold medal in gymnastics at the 1968 Summer Olympics, gave an interview with German television station RTL Television, in which she said that abortion doping was widespread among Soviet athletes in the 1970s, and that girls as young as 14 were being forced to have sex with their coaches. When contacted by various newspapers for comment, Karasyova said the person who had given the interviews was an imposter. In 1997, Karasyovae successfully sued the the Russian newspaper "AIDS-Info" for libel after they published references to the 1994 story.

Legality

Abortion doping is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency's current list of prohibited substances or methods.

See also

• Blood doping