Performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids continue to affect competitive sports like weight lifting and body building. These medications alter the testosterone system of both men and women. Testosterone plays an important role in reproduction, so drugs which impact this system can also cause sexual side effects. According to a 2007 survey presented in the "Brazilian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism" changes in reproductive physiology and sexual behavior are among the most commonly reported negative reactions associated with steroid use.
Sperm Count
The potent impact of anabolic steroids on the human reproductive system may make them an effective male contraceptive. A 2002 study in the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" shows that combined intake of testicular steroids like testosterone and ovarian steroids like progesterone reduced sperm count in healthy men. These hormones are commonly taken by athletes seeking a competitive "edge." In the study, different steroid delivery methods produced different results. Testosterone injections, similar to those used by athletes, achieved adequate contraception whereas testosterone patches did not.
Sexual Desire
Findings obtained in animal studies demonstrate the adverse effects of anabolic steroids on sexual behavior. A 2010 paper offered in the periodical "Behavioral Brain Research" looked at the sexual effects of anabolic steroids in male hamsters. Animals treated with steroids took longer to mate and mated less often then controls. These hamsters also responded less to threats by other males. These data indicate that anabolic steroids may cause virilization, or the development of feminine characteristics.
Reproductive Disorder
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is a medical condition in which the testes or ovaries don't function properly. This disorder occurs when the neural and gland networks of the body don't appropriately control the reproductive system. The use of performance-enhancing drugs often causes this condition. A 2008 study in the "Japanese Journal of Urology" describes such a case. A 32-year-old man, who had taken anabolic steroids for 7 years, reported testicular shrinkage and libido loss. Laboratory tests revealed low levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and testosterone. Stopping steroid intake failed to improve these symptoms. Administration of human chorionic gonadotropin, a female reproductive hormone, rectified the problem.
Genetic Damage
New drugs may provide the benefits of anabolic steroids without causing adverse reactions. A 2010 study in the journal "Steroids" describes the development of more "selective" medications like trenbolone. In petri dish cultures, this drug was three times as potent as testosterone at specifically binding to the receptors controlling muscle growth. Trenbolone should, therefore, combat hypogonadism without producing side effects like prostate enlargement. Yet a 2007 report in "Advances in Environmental Biology" shows that trenbolone use may cause genetic damage. Culture experiments indicated that trenbolone altered the chromosomes of white blood cells. These results suggest that anabolic steroids must be used with caution.
References
- "Brazilian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Prevalence of the Use of Anabolic Agents among Strength Training Apprentices in Porto Alegre, RS; P. R. Silva et al.; February 2007
- "Japanese Journal of Urology"; Case of Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Abuse Caused Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism; A. Takayanagi et al.; November 2008
- "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Levonorgestrel Implants (Norplant II) for Male Contraception Clinical Trials: Combination with Transdermal and Injectable Testosterone; I. T. Gonzolo et al.; August 2002
- "Behavioural Brain Research"; Anabolic Steroids have Long-Lasting Effects on Male Social Behaviors; K. Y. Salas-Ramirez et al.; April 2010
- "Steroids"; Tissue Selectivity and Potential Clinical Applications of Trenbolone (17beta-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one): A Potent Anabolic Steroid with Reduced Androgenic and Estrogenic Activity; J. F. Yarrow et al.; June 2010
