Famous female athletes who used steroids

As more and more females are participating in the physically demanding sports, no surprise that usage of steroids in them is on the rise. When it comes to beneficial effect, that is gaining muscle mass, improving strength and endurance, steroids work equally well for both the genders.

However, what differs is the spectrum of side effects. All steroids have an androgenic effect. It means that they give masculine looks to women, cause broadening of jaws, hoarsening of voice, growth of facial hair, and may lead to infertility.

It does not mean that steroids are so dangerous for women. In lower doses and when used in a right way, they would cause far fewer adverse effects. Thanks to newer synthetic anabolic steroids, now these drugs have a very low androgenic effect. It means more lean mass and less masculinization.

Competitive sports are harsh. Thus no surprise that women also use steroids extensively, though it is less discussed. As for men, use of steroid in professional sports by women started in the 1950s. And since then it is only gaining popularity. They are also used at amateur levels, to get those abdominal cuts, as steroid help burn fat faster.

Athletes list

Here are some of the most well-known female athletes known to have used steroids:

• Marion Jones- accepted using steroids before and after competitions. She is an Olympic gold medalist. However, after testing positive and accepting systemic steroid abuse, she was stripped of the medals. She was also given a jail term for hiding the truth about substance abuse.
• Hope Solo- another Olympian with success story, a soccer goalkeeper. However, in 2012 she tested positive for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although she did not confess the use of steroids and said that traces were of drugs used to treat menstrual irregularities.
• Florence Griffith Joyner – got three golds in 1988 Olympics. Though she never tested positive for steroids, however, specialists believe that she did use them. The reason is her quick improvement in performance and muscle mass in a short period. Moreover, she retired early, and regretfully she passed away at the young age of 39.
• Tammy Thomas- the professional cyclist, tested positive for the use of steroids. Later banned for life from sports and convicted for hiding facts.
• Crystal Cox- won a gold medal in a relay race in 2004. However, her success did not last long as later it was found that she systematically used steroids for several years.
• Kelli White- dominated world athletic championship in 2003, but later was stripped of all her medals as it was found that she used steroids, erythropoietin, and other performance-enhancing drugs.
• Cris “Cyborg” Justino – Brazilian MMA star was tested positive for stanozolol, a steroid, and not once.
• Beverly McDonald – Jamaican sprinter and a successful Olympian, with many successes. However, her carrier ended when she tested positive for steroids.

It is just a small list of women athletes that tested positive, in reality, there are hundreds of professional sportswomen who are known to have used steroids. Exact figures are undoubtedly much higher as the majority of them escape the doping tests.

In short, use of steroids is common among the female athletes, as they work for them too.