IOC rescinds ban on birth control drug.

Abstract

The controversy over the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ban on norethindrone, a progestin found in most oral contraceptives (OCs), and the subsequent rescinding of this ban illustrate problems inherent in the drug testing process. The ban was overturned in September 1987, after being in effect for 5 months, largely as a result of pressure from major sports organizations. The initial ban was imposed because some drug testing laboratories have trouble differentiating the metabolites of norethindrone and nandrolone, a common anabolic-androgenic steroid. Although the ostensible reason for the ban was to prevent confusion over false-positive results, the IOC also feared that some athletes who use nandrolone would begin using norethindrone to conceal their steroid use. Enforcement of the ban would have required about 80% of female athletes who rely on OCs to change brands. Although 9 of the 31 OC brands available do not contain norethindrone, norethindrone is associated with reduced side effects. Some athletes would have turned to less effective methods of birth control, making the ban an attack on the reproductive well-being of this group of women. Another concern was that the ban would have dictated prescription guidelines to physicians, even though norethindrone has a legitimate medical purpose and is not a performance-enhancing drug. Overall, sports officials argued that the ban greatly damaged the credibility of drug testing programs. It has subsequently been shown that norethindrone and nandrolone are easily distinguishable with careful analysis of drug testing results.