Clomid and Athletes: Doping or Legit Fertility Treatment?


Every so often, a story breaks in the news about an athlete failing a drug test due to Clomid use. Football player Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts was accused of doping with clomiphene and was temporarily suspended from playing for the NFL. Mathis reported that he was taking Clomid as a treatment for male infertility. Sprinter Jason Livermore and net baller Simone Forbes are other athletes who have tested positive for Clomid use during sport drug testing.Clomid uses

Clomid, also known as clomiphene citrate, is most commonly known as a female fertility drug, but it can also be used by athletes for nefarious purposes. Clomid is listed as a prohibited substance by the NFL, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency. If Clomid use is discovered in a random drug test, the athlete can be penalized.
Why would an athlete take a fertility drug like Clomid?

Some athletes caught taking Clomid claim they were taking it to treat male infertility. They say they were just trying to have a child. Could it be true that a man would take Clomid in order to treat male infertility? Isn’t Clomid a female fertility drug?

Androgens are frequently thought of as the “male” hormones and estrogens as the “female” hormones. However, both kinds of hormones are produced in both genders. Men naturally have higher levels of androgens and lower levels of estrogens, and women have higher levels of estrogens and lower levels of androgens.

Testosterone, one of the primary androgen hormones, plays a big role in the development of muscle mass and strength. It also affects sex drive, mood and energy levels, and male hair growth (like facial and chest hair).

Together with exercise and good nutrition, men with naturally higher testosterone levels will have an easier time building muscles mass and strength.

Athletes may attempt to boost performance by illegally taking synthetic testosterone, usually in pill form, or natural testosterone hormones, usually via injection. Anabolic steroids, for example, are a form of synthetic testosterone.

Besides being dangerous and risky, taking additional androgens is considered cheating in the sports arena. Many sporting and doping organizations ban the use of androgen drugs and hormones.Athletes are required to take unscheduled, random drugs tests that look for evidence of androgen doping. Even months after taking synthetic androgens, trace amounts are detectable in blood tests.

For athletes looking to enhance performance, the long-lasting evidence left by illicit androgen use makes it a risky choice.However, taking testosterone directly is only one way to boost androgen levels. It’s also possible to boost testosterone indirectly.Remember first that men have estrogen and estrogen receptors, just less than women have. Clomid works by blocking estrogen receptors in the body. Because the estrogen receptors are blocked, the circulating estrogen in the body isn’t detected normally.

This leads the hormone-producing glands to think estrogen levels are low (even though they aren't), and so the glands attempt to produce more estrogen. The body does this by boosting production of two other important reproductive hormones: LH and FSH.

What does this have to do with testosterone? Testosterone is produced by cells known as Leydig cells. They produce testosterone in response to LH. So higher levels of LH means higher levels of testosterone. This is how Clomid raises testosterone levels indirectly. The athlete isn’t directly taking additional testosterone, but tricking his body into producing more on its own.

Clomid isn’t the only drug that can be used this way. Others include chlorotrianisene (TACE), ethamoxytriphetol (MER-25), and tamoxifen (Nolvadex). Many of these drugs are prohibited by doping agencies as well.Clomid may be taken by an athlete looking to boost performance by indirectly raising natural testosterone levels in the body, but it may also be used to counter the side effects of anabolic steroid use.

With anabolic steroid use, the body eventually reduces or stops producing testosterone on its own. Low levels of testosterone can lead to major health problems. Clomid may help the body restart production of this essential hormone.