Like this the effect of steroids on female and male fertility

There are various factors that can affect male and female fertility, one of which is the consumption of certain drugs. Steroid drugs are considered to be one of the drugs that can affect the chances of having children. However, what exactly do steroids have on fertility? Are the effects of steroids the same for male and female fertility?

What is a steroid drug?

Before you find out the effects and effects of steroids on female fertility, it is better for you to understand in advance about this drug.

The term "steroid" itself is used to describe a substance with a specific molecular structure. The function of steroid drugs is to maintain the shape of a cell's membrane, or to activate certain cell receptors.

Steroids can be found naturally, including in the human body in the form of hormones. Some of these are sex hormones, which include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

In addition, the human body also has glucocorticoids or the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for regulating the immune system and electrolyte balance in the body.

However, some people often mistake the effects of steroids used to treat inflammation and increase muscle mass are the same steroids. In fact, both are different types of drugs and give different effects on steroids to fertility.

1. Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are steroid drugs that are usually prescribed by doctors to treat inflammation or immune system problems. This drug works by stopping the production of certain substances in the body, which triggers an allergic and inflammatory response.

Some health conditions that can be overcome by using corticosteroids are allergies, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis, and blood disorders. In addition, corticosteroids are also sometimes used to treat infertility or infertility problems in women.

2. Anabolic steroids

Meanwhile, anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of male sex hormones, namely androgens. This drug is used to stimulate muscle growth and development of sexual characteristics in men. No wonder this anabolic steroid drug affects male fertility.

Generally, doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to treat conditions with low testosterone levels (hypogonadism). However, because of their anabolic effects which can increase body energy drastically, many male and female athletes take anabolic steroids in excess.

Effects of steroid drugs on female fertility

In the use of steroid drugs in the form of corticosteroids or anabolic steroids, both of them can have an effect or can affect female fertility. The following is an explanation of steroid drugs in affecting female fertility.

1. Effects of corticosteroids on female fertility

A study at the University of Adelaide, which was reported by ScienceDaily, states that the use of steroids to treat infertility in women has a high enough risk.

Steroids are quite often used to treat infertility in women with IVF and pregnancies that often fail. However, this study, led by Professor Sarah Robertson, shows how steroids can affect fertility and pregnancy.

According to Professor Robertson, the effect of certain steroid drugs (such as prednisolone), can prevent the body's immune system from reacting to pregnancy. However, by stopping the body's natural immune system reactions, some complications may occur.

A suppressed immune system has the potential to increase the risk of miscarriage by 64 percent. In addition, the chances of a baby being born with a defect, for example a cleft lip, will increase by 3 to 4 times.

2. Effects of anabolic steroids on female fertility

Anabolic steroid drugs or anabolic androgenic steroids (SAA) also have an influence on a woman's fertility, so they can affect a person's chances of having a baby.

This drug is commonly used to increase strength or improve physical appearance in sports athletes. Unfortunately, steroid drugs that have this effect on fertility are often abused. This causes the risk of health problems to increase.

Based on a study published in a journalSports Medicine, anabolic androgenic steroids can have an effect on female fertility.

More precisely, the use of steroid drugs affects fertility through the occurrence of several complications in the reproductive system of female athletes, such as clitoromegaly (swelling of the clitoris), irregular menstrual cycles, and excessive pain during menstruation (dysmenorrhea).

Another effect of anabolic steroids on fertility is that it inhibits the release of gonadotropin hormones. This hormone produced by the pituitary gland regulates the release of sex hormones in the body. If the gonadotropin hormone is not produced properly, the menstrual cycle will be disrupted and the chances of getting pregnant are smaller.

Effects of steroid drugs on male fertility

Not only giving women, the effect of steroids on male fertility is also possible. Steroid drugs that may affect male fertility are anabolic steroids. This type of steroid medication is often used to increase muscle mass.

Unfortunately, not many think that the use of this drug has a prolonged effect on male fertility. In fact, if used, this steroid drug can change the size of the testicles. In fact, the size of the testicles will shrink so that the testicles no longer produce sperm. This means that when men use this steroid drug, it is likely that men will experience fertility problems and find it difficult to have children.

This happens because anabolic steroids can increase the production of the hormone testosterone in the body. Meanwhile, this hormone can help your muscles enlarge. However, when your muscles enlarge, this will reverse the direction of blocking the production of the hormone testosterone in the testes. In fact, the hormone testosterone is one of the important components in the formation of sperm cells.

Therefore, if you use this steroid drug, the possible effect is that you will have difficulty having children. Things to watch out for, the effects of using this steroid drug can be permanent or incurable.

In fact, even if you have stopped using this steroid drug, you may have to wait up to a year for the effect on male fertility to disappear and sperm production returns to normal.

If more than one year has passed but your sperm production has not returned to normal, you may need to consult a doctor.

If you are worried about the use of steroid drugs on fertility, both women and men, check with your doctor. The doctor will check whether your condition is still manageable or not. If the effects of steroid drugs on your fertility can still be treated, your doctor will help you deal with it.