Killing sperm due to abuse of muscle-enhancing drugs
Mr. Tu, 28 years old, Ho Chi Minh City, went to the doctor because he had been married for more than a year but still had no children.
He was assigned to do a semen analysis to check the health of his sperm. Doctor Doan Anh Sang, Men's Health Center, said he was quite surprised with the test results. The patient was tall and muscular but had a low sperm count below the allowable threshold, poor mobility and a high rate of abnormal shapes.
This is a severe case of oligospermia, affecting the ability to conceive naturally. After doing some more tests, the doctor discovered that Mr. Tu's male hormones were very high, while the control center in the brain showed signs of stopping functioning.
The patient said he had been working out for a long time, using drugs derived from male hormones to maintain muscle mass. When he first started working out, he had difficulty gaining weight and muscle, so a friend at the gym recommended him to try it. Seeing the effectiveness, he continued to inject for about 3 years.
The doctor performed a testicular stimulation treatment and added some necessary substances for sperm production. The recovery of the testicles was quite slow due to long-term inhibition, it took more than 3 months to see signs of sperm production recovery.
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Steroids are available in both injectable and oral forms. Photo:drugfacts |
Dr. Sang said that using foods or drugs to increase muscle quickly without the guidance of a specialist can cause infertility. Using drugs derived from the male hormone testosterone, steroids will cause the male hormone level to increase. Then the body will understand that it is enough and respond by reducing or stopping production. As a result, the testicles are inhibited and cause a decrease in both the quantity and quality of sperm.
Athletes and bodybuilders often abuse anabolic steroids to increase their performance and improve their physique quickly. This is a synthetic compound, a derivative of the male sex hormone testosterone, often prescribed by doctors for patients with endocrine problems such as testosterone deficiency syndrome, male hypogonadism or delayed puberty in children...
"Prescribing hormones or steroids to young, healthy men without families or children, especially for the sole purpose of gaining muscle without a doctor's supervision, is risky and the patient may have to pay a very high price," Dr. Sang emphasized.
In addition toaffects testicular volume and function, reduces endogenous testosterone production leading to the risk of infertility,Steroid use can also cause liver failure, kidney failure, cardiovascular and emotional effects...In adolescents, before puberty is complete, steroids can prevent growth from reaching its full potential, especially in height.
The effects of steroids on the body can be long-term or take at least 3 months to a year to regulate again. Patients need to have appropriate consultation, diagnosis and treatment from doctors.
