There was a lot of controversy after Algerian boxer Iman Khalif defeated her Italian opponent at the Paris Olympics 2024, as she was disqualified from the previous competition due to high testosterone levels. Khalif stepped into the ring on Thursday to take on Italy’s Angela Carini for the opening boxing match of the Paris Olympics. However, the bout ended in less than a minute, as Carini punched her in the nose just 46 seconds into the first round.

Now controversy has erupted, sparking a wider debate about gender eligibility in the boxing world. Last year, the International Boxing Association disqualified the 25-year-old Algerian from the 2023 World Championships after she failed a gender eligibility test, news reports said. Khalif was also stripped of the medals she won in the women’s competition.

However, many came to Khalif’s defence, claiming that he has a rare medical condition – hyperandrogenism – in which the levels of androgens in his blood are abnormally high, leading to increased testosterone levels and the presence of XY chromosomes.

What do high testosterone levels mean?,

This controversy has sparked widespread discussion about the role of testosterone in sports. Testosterone is a sex hormone produced by both men and women. However, in men, levels of this hormone are 20 times higher – mainly in the testicles. In women it is produced much less, in the ovaries and adrenal glands.

According to doctors, the normal level of testosterone for men is considered to be 10-35 nanomoles per liter of blood. For women, it is between 0.5-2.4 nanomoles per liter.

Experts say testosterone levels can also vary widely depending on age and the time of year.

What happens when women have high testosterone levels?

Excess testosterone can cause the following symptoms that affect a woman’s physical appearance:

• Excessive body hair, especially facial hair
• Baldness
• Acne all over the face
• Enlarged clitoris
• Decreased breast size
• Deepening of the voice
• Increase in muscle mass
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Low libido
• mood changes

In more severe cases of testosterone imbalance in women, high testosterone can cause infertility and obesity.

What causes high testosterone in women?,

Doctors say that hormonal changes in women occur due to certain health conditions and hormonal disorders, some of these are:

hirsutism

It is a hormonal condition that causes unwanted hair growth on the back, face, and chest. The amount of hair growth on the body depends a lot on genetics, but the condition is primarily caused by an imbalance of androgen hormones.

polycystic ovary syndrome

PCOS is a hormonal disorder caused by an excess of androgen hormones in women. This causes irregular menstrual cycles, unwanted body hair growth, and enlarged ovaries that do not function properly.

congenital adrenal hyperplasia

CAH directly affects the adrenal glands and the body’s hormone production. It causes infertility, masculine features, early growth of pubic hair, and severe acne.

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