Effects of Steroids on the Male and Female Reproductive Systems

Anabolic steroids can have adverse effects on the male and female reproductive systems. Females might experience more severe effects when taking testosterone because it is produced in small amounts in the female body, making it a foreign substance for women. Effects of steroids in both sexes vary.

Visible Effects
Some side effects of steroid use will be visible to the naked eye. Men can experience breast growth beyond the muscular buildup of the chest muscles. In addition, the testicles might shrink. Men might also notice changes in hair growth patterns and they might lose hair. Women can might develop excess facial hair or lose hair from their head. In women, the clitoris might become unnaturally large while the breasts may lose some of their natural size. Women's voices often become deeper as a result of steroid use.

Hormonal Changes
Hormonal changes resulting from the use of steroids can affect the steroid user. Men can experience longer erections or a higher frequency of erections yet a decrease in sperm production, resulting in sterility. Men might also find that they are impotent and have a problem urinating. According to Concepts of Chemical Dependency, prostate cancer has been found in rare instances. It is possible for women to interruption of their menstrual cycle from steroid use. In addition, women can develop infertility issues as well. Both sexes might experience changes in sex drive, either an increase in desire or a loss of desire. These hormonal changes in the body can increase the amount of acne on the user as well.

Lasting Effects
Many of the side effects of steroid use are irreversible. The development of reproductive cancers affects steroid users for the rest of their lives. In addition, women might continue to suffer from hair loss. In women, the clitoris might never return to normal size. For men, the enlargement of the breasts can be permanent with only surgical removal returning the breasts to normal size. The longer a person uses steroids, the longer it will take for their side effects to go away.

Benefits of High Testosterone: More Money, More Sex, More Muscle

In today's society, the word testosterone is viewed with a sense of contempt by many people. The mere mention of testosterone can invoke visions of some drooling, 250-pound linebacker with a screaming girl on one arm and a turkey drumstick on the other. Yes, many feminists and poetry-reading males would like us to believe that high test levels are a very bad thing, which I'll discuss more later.

Whipped DudeBut the truth is that many of you could probably care less about what some raging feminist or Buddhist hipster thinks of you. However, here's something that you might actually care about when it comes to high testosterone: a good portion of women like to pretend to have an interest in nice metrosexual guys, who care more about their eyebrow shape than biceps size.

So is this it? Do we as bodybuilders store the weights away, apply a tinted moisturizer, grab some estrogen pills, and start pouring our feelings out to any girl within a mile radius? Absolutely not! This modern-day notion of women always gravitating towards pretty guys with a soft side is as big a myth as your stomach exploding after eating pop rocks and drinking soda. As I'll talk about later, men with higher testosterone levels always get the girl in the end while estrogen-filled guys go home alone and cry into their pillows.

Moving beyond simply picking up women, testosterone is also extremely important for a variety of other reasons. Your good health, longevity, fat burning, survival skills, sexual performance and even financial success all receive a big boost from having higher test levels. I'll cover the testosterone benefits subject more below and also discuss the social/media stigma against test. I'll also cover why the environment is causing rapid estrogen increases in men and what you can do to combat estrogen while increasing testosterone levels.

The Many Benefits of Testosterone

As many of you may already know, testosterone is a steroid hormone that plays a huge role in developing male sexual characteristics. It has anabolic effects such as increasing muscle mass, strength and bone density along with androgenic effects like helping sex organs mature, deepening the voice and promoting body hair growth.

Moving past the Merriam-Webster definition crap, the exciting thing about testosterone is all of the benefits that elevating it can offer you. Some of the perks that you can expect from high test levels include confidence, more happiness, increased energy, improved sexual performance, fewer diseases, a better physique, a strong heart and a sharper mind. Hmm... a lot of these sound like traits that women really like in guys.

About the only thing missing here is money, which, coincidentally, also happens to increase with rising testosterone. Now you might be wondering how in the world can your having more testosterone lead to a bigger bank account? Well, luckily, a 2009 study by the National Academy of Sciences made this connection clearer. Researchers found that men with enhanced testosterone levels were less foolish with their money and more likely to take risks that could lead to big financial rewards. Sure some might see less financial generosity as a bad thing; but people don't become and stay wealthy by buying drinks for everybody in the bar and handing out money to second cousins in order to feel good about themselves.

Another positive by-product of high testosterone is increased survival skills. Having increased muscle mass, more strength and a sharper mind will certainly give you a boost in any life-threatening situation.

Anabolic steroids making musclemen infertile

Growing numbers of men are becoming infertile because they take anabolic steroids in their quest for a muscular body, doctors have warned.

Urologists are seeing more and more men whose difficulty in becoming a father is linked to consumption of the muscle-boosting drugs.

Steve Payne, a consultant urologist at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and a council member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, said: "Many fit young men who believe they are at the peak of physical perfection don't believe it could be their fault when their wives or girlfriends find it difficult to become pregnant.

"They are insulted when it is suggested that they undergo a sperm test, and horrified when the results of those tests show an absence of sperm in the sample."

Such men are then referred to a urologist, and undergo a blood test. If they have been using steroids, they often have what Payne calls deranged levels of sex hormones.

Men who regularly go to the gym should avoid taking steroids to bulk up, Payne added.

Acne, aggression and an unexplained, orangey skin tone akin to a tan are also associated with use of steroids.

Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology at Sheffield University, warned: "It is a very real risk that men who take anabolic steroids will become infertile. It's almost certain that they [the steroids] will have an effect of some sort on their fertility and, in the worst-case scenario, that sperm production will stop altogether.

"These patients walk through the door looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his younger days. They are having fertility problems, and it suddenly becomes obvious where the problem may lie."

Some men who stop taking steroids never regain their reproductive capacity and for others it takes years for normal sperm production to resume, Pacey added.

Male Infertility Symptoms And Causes

Reproduction (or making a baby) is a simple and natural experience for most couples. However, for some couples it is very difficult to conceive. Male infertility is diagnosed when, after testing of both partners, reproductive problems have been found in the male partner.
How common is male infertility?

Infertility is a widespread problem. For about one in five infertile couples the problem lies solely in the male partner (male infertility).
Are there any signs or symptoms of male infertility?

In most cases, there are no obvious signs of an infertility problem. Intercourse, erections and ejaculation will usually happen without difficulty. The quantity and appearance of the ejaculated semen generally appears normal to the naked eye.
How does the male reproductive system work?

The male reproductive tract is made up of the testes, a system of ducts (tubes) and other glands opening into the ducts.

The testes (testis: singular) are a pair of egg shaped glands that sit in the scrotum next to the base of the penis on the outside of the body.

Each normal testis is 15 to 35ml in volume in adult men. The testes are needed for the male reproductive system to function normally. The testes have two related but separate roles:

    production of sperm
    production of the male sex hormone, testosterone.

What causes male infertility?

Male infertility can be caused by problems that affect sperm production or the sperm transport process. With the results of medical tests, the doctor may be able to find a cause of the problem.

Known causes of male infertility can be:

Sperm production problems: The most common cause of male infertility is due to a problem in the sperm production process in the testes. Low numbers of sperm are made and/or the sperm that are made do not work properly. About two thirds of infertile men have sperm production problems.

Blockage of sperm transport: Blockages (often referred to as obstructions) in the tubes leading sperm away from the testes to the penis can cause a complete lack of sperm in the ejaculated semen.

This is the second most common cause of male infertility and affects about one in every five infertile men, including men who have had a vasectomy but now wish to have more children.

Sperm antibodies: In some men, substances in the semen and/or blood called sperm antibodies can develop which can reduce sperm movement and block egg binding (where the sperm attaches to the egg) as is needed for fertilisation.

About one in every 16 infertile men has sperm antibodies.

Sexual problems: Difficulties with sexual intercourse, such as erection or ejaculation problems, can also stop couples from becoming pregnant. Sexual problems are not a common cause of infertility.

Hormonal problems: Sometimes the pituitary gland does not send the right hormonal messages to the testes. This can cause both low testosterone levels and a failure of the testes to produce sperm.

Hormonal causes are uncommon, and affect less than one in 100 infertile men. Unfortunately, medical scientists do not yet understand all the details of sperm production and the fertilisation process. As a result, for many men with a sperm production problem, the cause cannot be identified.