Thirty-one-year-old Simonsen, a bronze medallist from the European Championships in 2007, tested positive for banned steroid androstane.

The Danish Curling Federation (DCF) claimed the positive test came as a result of her trying to fall pregnant as she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes an imbalance in hormones. 

To this end she took a herbal remedy, with the DCF insisting this “was not taken with performance in mind”.

World Curling Federation (WCF) President Kate Caithness admitted she was “disappointed” for Simonsen, a World Junior Championships bronze medallist in 2006, and expressed hope the curler would be found innocent of deliberately trying to cheat.

The matter was passed to the WCF Independent Panel who did rule there was no intention to dope, but have still declared that the Dane has committed a violation.

"I am disappointed and hopefully this will prove to be an innocent error but obviously we must leave this in the hands of our independent panel,” Caithness told insidethegames in February.

“Doping isn’t really a part of our sport as we have only had a couple of cases and long may that continue.”

Simonsen's suspension will be back-dated to February 12, when she was provisionally suspended.

Her results from the 2015 European Championships in Denmark in November, where the host nation finished fourth, have also been disqualified. 

Simonsen tested positive at the event in Esbjerg.

Her case provides a rare failed doping test in curling.

The most high-profile incident came in 2013 when Canadian World Championships silver medallist Matt Dumontelle was given a two-year suspension for testing positive for banned substance methandienone, an anabolic steroid.