CHENNAI: The Odisha government, former athletes and many well-wishers are leaving no stone unturned to help sprinter Dutee Chand, who has been barred from competing in female category after tests revealed that she has high androgen levels.
On Thursday, two women coaches were sent to Bangalore to support Dutee and find out about the issue. A day later, former athlete Santhi Soundarajan, who failed a gender test back in 2006, expressed her desire to help the 18-year-old. On Saturday, the issue was raised in the Odisha assembly, with the government seeking a reply from the Athletic Federation of India (AFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) as to why the girl alone was subjected to such a test.
Dr Artatan Mohanty, who is general practitioner in Manchester, said what happened with Dutee was not on. “It is not right to assert the gender of an 18-year-old girl. I spoke to Dutee and she told me she started running at the age of 12. Vigorous exercise by females can disrupt their menstrual cycle. We cannot say just based on androgen levels alone if one is a male or female. If one suffers from androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), then they may not have a uterus. This can be determined by a blood test and ultrasound scan. But unless we know the details of the tests, Dutee’s problem cannot be determined or solved,” he said.
Mohanty is the father-in-law of Odisha Cricket Association’s president Ranjib Biswal. Explaining in medical terms, the 69-year-old said, “Estrogen and progesterone are essentially female hormones but are present in a male as well. In a similar way, testosterone is a dominant sex hormone in men which is in a class called androgen but is also present in a female. The average testosterone in a female is 15 to 17 nanograms per decilitre. It’s almost 20 times higher in a male. A similar test can be done in Cuttack where we can also conduct a chromosomal study. The LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) controls the menstrual cycle and encourage ovulation. When the androgen levels are high, it suppresses the LH and FSH level, thereby causing trouble. Once we get our hands on the reports, we will know as to what is the problem with Dutee.”
He said he had spoken to officials in the Odisha Olympic Association and his son-in-law to probe the matter. The doctor also said this problem can be medically rectified. “The androgen levels can be brought down but it depends on what is the cause. It can be because of a cyst formation or Polycystic ovary syndrome. Some of the signs and symptoms of this includes menstrual disorders, infertility, high levels of masculinising hormones. It can also be due to a genetic disorder. As of now, everything has been kept in the dark, which is not fair. I have told the Odisha Olympic Association to look into the matter,” he said.