According to Ramirez, he was not into steroids. Rather, his doctor gave him a medication for a “personal health issue”.

Each year, baseball players are subjected to a test within five days of reporting to spring training. Another test is then conducted, this time unannounced, and players to be tested are only selected randomly. Within a three-year long period, form the start of spring training in 2008 up to 2011, there will be 1,200 players who will be randomly tested at unannounced dates.

Ramirez provided an HCG – positive urine sample during spring training, according to a reliable source, who divulged the details of the suspension to The Associated Press.

US Anti-doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart acknowledged the fact that they have no knowledge of Ramirez’ personal case, but he believes that it is unlikely that a healthy young athlete would be prescribed HCG for a legitimate medical reason. Tygart further added that he should be aware of the right process that could grant him permission to use the drug, if ever his claims were true.

HCG is popular among steroids users because of its ability to alleviate the unfavorable effects of ending a steroid cycle. It is known to stimulate testosterone production after going off a cycle. Ending a cycle is known to cause a cessation in testosterone production, a decrease in sperm count and a shrinking of testicles.

From azcentral:

“We have no knowledge of the Ramirez case, but it’s highly unlikely an otherwise healthy, young athlete would need HCG for a legitimate medical reason,” said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart. “That said, if there was valid medical need, his high-priced representatives should be fired for not ensuring that he was informed of the process that could have granted him permission to use it.”

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Dodgers’ left-fielder Manny Ramirez was suspended from the games since he was found to be taking HCG. This synthetic compound is usually prescribed to women who are having problems in their ovulation process.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is also given to young boys whose testicles aren’t developing properly on time, and to men who suffer from testicular cancer. This compound is administered under the skin similar to how human growth hormone is injected

From SFGate:

HCG, the hormone at issue in the suspension of Dodgers left-fielder Manny Ramirez, is produced naturally in the bodies of pregnant women. It helps the unborn child develop.

A synthetic form of human chorionic gonadotropin is prescribed to women with ovulation problems, to young boys whose testicles haven’t descended in a timely manner and to men with testicular cancer.

But among male athletes who are using anabolic steroids, HCG is an important part of the regimen, experts say - a drug that restores the body’s ability to produce testosterone naturally.

Without some natural testosterone production, steroid users risk the loss of muscle mass, slower recovery from workouts - and a range of side effects including atrophied testicles.

“Many female fertility drugs are used to increase testosterone in men,” said Anthony Roberts, author of “Beyond Steroids,” a user’s guide to performance-enhancing drugs. “HCG is incredibly common.”

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is prescribed to bodybuilders or athletes having steroid cycles. This compound is an essential to steroid users since it restores the ability of the body to produce adequate testosterone. It is available over the counter in Mexico and in Dominican Republic, although HCG is also available in the US through online shops.

One of the most common side of effects of using steroid is the low production of testosterone which leads to spermatogenesis disorder, erectile dysfunction and decreased libido.

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The federal grand jury of the U.S. District Court in Mobile, Alabama has charged members of Applied Pharmacy Services Inc. (APS) with illegal prescription and distribution of anabolic steroids. There were twelve individuals involved including the owners, Samuel Kelley, Jason Kelley and Jodi Silvio, four pharmacists and 5 other individuals who helped with the operation. According to the court documents, APS operated in at least 10 states.

From Associated Press:

The indictment alleges that pharmacists at APS illegally dispensed steroids and other drugs to doctors and steroid dealers between 2003 and 2006 in Arizona, California, Texas, Washington, Colorado, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida and elsewhere.

The indictments marked the latest development in a long-term investigation into the alleged distribution of anabolic steroids to doctors, gyms, health and workout clubs nationwide. Some doctors were charged earlier in the probe and two pleaded guilty in 2008 to federal charges of helping to distribute steroids.

The pharmacists involved were apparently prescribing and selling steroids that are used by veterinaries to human buyers. The public got hold of the APS through their internet campaign, advertisements, and local gyms and through snow-balling through their contacts. They sold cocktail anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin. When asked if there were any sports figure that served as a client, the assistant US attorney handling the case didn’t comment. She mentioned, however, that some of the clients were teenagers. This would pose a heavier sentence for the group since selling steroids and illegal drugs to individuals less than 21 mean 10 years imprisonment. Usually, a sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 are given to cases like this.

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The controversial former Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco is involved yet again in another legal trouble as he gets 12-month unsupervised probation for a recent drug case.

Canseco pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of bringing mislabeled vials of a prohibited drug from Mexico to the United States. The drug was human chorionic gonadotropin, a fertility drug which is considered illegal without prescription and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for use in males.

Canseco told the magistrate, Judge Ruben Brooks, he was sorry that he did not declare to border agents that he had with him the HCG vials.

On October 9, Canseco’s vehicle was searched at the San Ysidro border crossing and immigration and customs agents found six vials of HCG in one of the vehicle’s armrest.

The former baseball star, who wrote two tell-all books on steroid use in MLB, admitted he was getting the HCG to restore his hormonal level up and working.

“I didn’t go down there looking for steroids,” Canseco said while seated on a bench outside the courtroom. “I needed something to help me get my own levels back to normal, just to get me to, you know, normal working conditions, I guess.”

Canseco confessed in 2005 in his first book that he had used steroids to enhance his athletic performance. He now blames his past steroid use as the culprit for his depressed hormonal level.

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Controversial former MLB player Jose Canseco was charged in federal court Tuesday with a misdemeanor offense. His infringement? Apparently, Canseco was attempting to bring human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) across the border from Mexico.

During his initial court appearance, which reportedly took only five minutes, Canseco did not address the court as he was charged with Introduction into Interstate Commerce of a Misbranded Drug. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben B. Brooks read the charge to Canseco.

If proven guilty, Canseco can get the maximum sentence of one year-imprisonment and $1,000 fine. Canseco remained silent after leaving the courthouse, not offering any comment to reporters waiting for him outside.

After his court appearance, Canseco was whisked away to the U.S Marshal’s office where his fingerprint and mugshot were taken.

It was last Thursday that Canseco was detained at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement for almost 10 hours after border officials found HCG in his vehicle. HCG is a female fertility drug available only through prescription. HCG is also used by athletes who use anabolic steroids during or after their steroid intake (referred to as cycling) to stabilize or compensate for the testosterone production in the testes.

The former slugger, who played with the New York Yankees and Chicago Sox, is scheduled to appear again before the court Nov. 4 at 9 a.m.

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Former slugger Jose Canseco is once again in the limelight.

According to an Associated Press report, Canseco was detained by immigration authorities at a San Diego border crossing as he tried to bring fertility drug from his trip from Mexico. The incident has been confirmed by Canseco’s lawyer, Gregory Emerson.

According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman Lauren Mack, a notice was issued to Canseco for him to appear in federal court “relative to smuggling violation.” Canseco is scheduled to appear in a San Diego federal court on Tuesday.

Mack has made it clear that no charges have been filed against Canseco who was later released on Thursday night. He was detained for nearly 10 hours at the San Ysidro border crossing.

The AP report said the compound human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is primarily used as a parenteral fertility medication, was discovered during the search of his vehicle.

The hCG is used extensively by anabolic steroids users to help restore normal production of testosterone. Anabolic steroid use is known to suppress the endogenous production of this male hormone. In the US, it is illegal to use hCG and anabolic steroids without prescription.

Canseco was released from detention after he agreed to permit ICE agents to search his house in Los Angeles. It was reported that ICE agents searched the home in the presence of Canseco’s lawyer as the former baseball star was returning from San Diego.

“They found nothing. They took nothing,” Emerson told media.

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