ArticleFrontiers in physiology2021
Urinary Steroid Profile in Elite Female Athletes in Relation to Serum Androgens and in Comparison With Untrained Controls.
Article in Frontiers in physiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of live-high, train-low strategy induced by chronic low-dose carbon monoxide exposure on haematological parameters and performance in trained individuals.Experimental physiology · 2026Trial
- Tracking androgens in female elite athletes: menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive effects.BMC women's health · 2026Observational
- Advancing Women's Performance in Fitness and Sports: An Exploratory Field Study on Hormonal Monitoring and Menstrual Cycle-Tailored Training Strategies.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Variation of the steroid profile in relation to training in women and its importance for anti-doping testing.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Clinical study on early warning signal monitoring (salivary indicators) of exercise-induced fatigue in technical winter sports athletes.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- The evolutionary basis of elevated testosterone in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an overview of systematic reviews of the evidence.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIn female athletes, the interpretation of doping tests is complex due to hormonal variations during the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use, both influencing the urinary steroid profile. Exercise is suggested to affect circulating steroid hormone levels, and in women, the urinary steroid profile differs between in competition testing and out of competition testing. No previous study has investigated the relationship between amount of exercise and the urinary steroid profile in female elite athletes. PURPOSE: To compare the urinary steroid profile between female Olympic athletes and age- and BMI-matched untrained controls, and to study the urinary steroid profile in relation to serum hormones and amount of exercise.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study conducted at the Women's Health Research Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, 94 female elite athletes and 86 untrained controls were included. Serum estrogens and testosterone and the urinary steroid profile were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. Exercise hours/week were evaluated by questionnaire.
resultsAlthough serum steroid hormones were comparable between groups, the athletes demonstrated approximately 30% lower urinary steroid metabolites of testosterone, epitestosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone, 5α-androstan-3α, 17β-diol, and 5β-androstan-3α, 17β-diol compared to the controls. The urinary steroid metabolites correlated positively with serum steroid hormones. In the athletes, urinary steroid metabolites: androsterone (
conclusionThe urinary concentrations of steroid metabolites were lower in elite athletes than in sedentary controls, although serum steroids were comparable between groups. Moreover, exercise time was negatively associated with the urinary concentrations. Our findings suggest alternative excretion routes of androgens in the athletes related to training.
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