Anabolic Steroid Use Can Harm Your Sexual Health

Anabolic steroid use is unfortunately becoming increasingly common among professional athletes or those who want to increase muscle mass. When this synthetic hormone, which we can define as synthetic testosterone, is taken in excess, men can encounter risky health problems such as baldness, skin problems, erectile dysfunction, infertility, and blood clotting.

What Are Anabolic Steroids?

I can define anabolic steroids in the simplest way as synthetic male hormones. These substances, used to increase muscle mass and physical strength, upset the body's testosterone balance and should absolutely not be used unconsciously.

Harms of Unconscious Anabolic Steroid Use on General Health

Under normal conditions, our body uses testosterone for different purposes in a very balanced way. For example, we need testosterone in many processes, from regulating our bone density to our kidneys filtering more blood, from our skin being healthier to quality sperm production. When we use anabolic steroids in addition to the testosterone produced by our body, the testosterone balance in our body is disrupted, and consequently, disruptions begin in the metabolic processes involving the male hormone.

• Skin and Hair: When the body's hormone balance is disrupted, men's skin becomes oily, and skin problems (acne) emerge. With the oiling of the skin and the onset of skin problems, changes occur in the scalp, and male pattern baldness problems are encountered.

• Gynecomastia: Disruption of the testosterone balance in the male body can also cause changes called "gynecomastia," which can be expressed as breast enlargement in men.

• Psychological Effects: It is also possible to see differentiation in mood and for men to feel more aggressive and angry depending on the disruption of hormonal balance.

• Clotting: Research points to another serious problem that excess male hormone can cause; clotting problems (thrombosis) can be experienced due to excess testosterone in the blood.

Anabolic Steroids Can Create a Need for Hormone Replacement Therapy

Anabolic steroids used unconsciously to achieve a more muscular and resistant body threaten men's general health while also making their impact felt in sexual health. The bodies of people who use anabolic steroids for a long time start not to produce testosterone naturally. When natural testosterone cannot be produced, weakness, energy loss, and chronic fatigue reduce the quality of life, leading to a lifelong need for Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

Anabolic Steroids Lead to Erectile Dysfunction and a Decrease in Sperm Quality

Due to the hormonal imbalance they cause, anabolic steroids create negativities in men's sexual lives that are difficult to ignore. When synthetic testosterone is taken into the body for a long time, natural testosterone production is suppressed, and erectile problems begin in men. As a result of the disruption of hormone balance, men have to face both erectile dysfunction and a decrease in sperm quality (infertility).

Conclusion

As I always state, it is impossible to separate male sexual health from general health! Anabolic steroids threaten human life by turning the body's hormone balance upside down.

Research by the European Society of Endocrinology in 2019 points to a striking reality, showing that people using anabolic steroids are aware of the side effects that may occur due to the use of these drugs. Despite the awareness of risks, general consciousness-raising is required to prevent stepping into a process that can result in death. Like all drugs used unconsciously without consulting doctors, steroids also lead to tragic consequences.