Sex Verification Testing of Athletes

Sex Verification Testing of Athletes 1. What evidence provided supports the claim that “A high level of testosterone provides an unfair advantage in women’s athletics”? Is this adequate evidence? Explain your answer. “Since men typically have more testosterone than women and testosterone is linked to athletic performance, current tests measure female athletes' testosterone levels to ensure they are within a certain range.”. It isn't good evidence since not every female could have a set amount of testosterone. It would be like every guy has a limit to how much body mass they have and they cant go anything higher than that number. 2. Click on the term “biological sex.” Describe how biological sex and gender differ from each other. Gender is the identity of someone which is presented socially. For example, someone could say they identify as a male even though by birth they are a female. While biological sex is the gender of the person at birth which is determined by factors like number of chromosomes, hormone levels, the reproductive anatomy and sex characteristics. 3. Are sex verification tests of athletes used to determine biological sex or gender? Explain why you selected sex or gender. They are used to determine biological sex. I chose this because they are testing biological characteristics of the person whilst if they were testing their gender they would test their appearance or just ask them a series of questions. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Click the “Human Development” tab. As you navigate through this section, use the information to answer questions 4-20. 4. Rewrite the following statement to be correct regarding human chromosomes: “All chromosomes are autosomes, and some autosomes are allosomes.” Humans have 22 pairs of autosomes and a pair of allosome. 5. What does the presence of a Barr body indicate? The presence of a Barr body indicates that the person has more than one X Chromosome 6. Regarding the SRY gene … a. What does SRY stand for? It stands for “Sex determining region Y”. b. On which chromosome is the SRY gene normally found? It is normally found on the Y chromosome. c. What is the function of the SRY gene? It is responsible for developing immature gonads into testes. 7. Examine the graph showing blood testosterone levels in elite male and female athletes. Fill in the table below to show the range and mode (highest frequency) of testosterone concentration for females and males in this study. Sex Range Mode Low High Females 0 nmol/L 33 nmol/L 5 nmol/L Males 1 nmol/L 42 nmol/L 7 nmol/L 8. Based on the data in the graph of blood testosterone levels in elite male and female athletes, is there a testosterone concentration that can reliably divide females from males? Explain your answer. No, the level between where woman cant go and where men can go is too close of a gap. Whats to eliminate possibility of women being able to go to the 40nmol/L range or above. 9. List two examples of secondary sex characteristics in females and two in males. Are there secondary sex characteristics that could be the basis of a reliable sex determination test? Explain your answer. Female - Menstrual cycle: this can be a useful way to do the sex determination test because males are not ab do that and is specifically for females. - Hips become wider: this is sometimes not possible for most males as the reason why the hip becom wider is because they have two XX chromosomes Male - Chest becomes wider: not uncommon for females but the chest of males become more wider and th - are more commonly known for having a more broader body structure Deeper voice: the larynx of males are known for becoming wider which eventually leads to a deeper voice in general. 10. Regarding DSDs … a. What does the abbreviation DSD stand for? It stands for “difference in sexual displacement”. b. Choose ONE DSD and explain the cause and phenotype. The DSD im choosing is 45, X. this occurs because of an error in meiosis where one of the X chromosomes is completely missing or partially. The phenotype is high among the affected individuals based on CASE STUDIES Click the “Case Studies” tab, read about the two athletes and the history of sex verification tests. 11. Click the "Sprinter" tab. a. Which four tests have historically been performed to determine an athlete’s biological sex? 1. 1966 sprinter’s physical exam: this test required participants to strip fully nude and to run in front of judges who would determine whether they were a male or female based on their reproductive anat 2. 1968 the Barr body test: They check for a Barr body in cels which is a darker stained structure which would appear a bit close to the nuclear envelope. 3. 1992 Test with Gel Electrophoresis: they would increase the strength of a part of SRYDNA using PC analyze the sample using gel Electrophoresis: 4. 2011 testosterone measurement: they measure the testosterone present in the blood b. What is a genotype that would explain the sprinter’s phenotype? Explain. 46, XY is the genotype because it has the same female structures externally alongside the absence of a SRY g Not only that, they are also absent in having a Barr Body and high testosterone. 12. Click the "Swimmer" tab. Under current regulations, would the swimmer be allowed to compete? Explain. Yes they would be allowed because their testosterone is under 10nmol/L Conclusion After learning about sex verification in sport, how do YOU think this should be regulated? Explain your reasoning with at least 3 supporting points. - It should be regulated based on the testosterone test mainly because the testosterone present in th blood is a lot more concrete than going off of exterior factors It should also be regulated with documents which are present at birth stating the biological gender o the baby. Finally, sex verification can be done based on voice as well as females and males aren’t exactly able t mimic the others gender’s voice as well.