MEN : MEN ON STEROIDS HAVE LOW SPERM COUNT.Byline: Denise Mann Medical Tribune News Service Male bodybuilders who dose themselves with steroids to ``bulk up'' may have bigger biceps, but they also may have low sperm counts, according to British researchers. A study of five male infertility patients showed that all of the men had used steroids to build muscle and all had extremely low sperm counts, Dr. A.P. Murdoch of the Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, city (1991 pop. 199,064) and metropolitan district, NE England, on the Tyne River. The city is an important shipping and trade center. The famous coal-shipping industry began in the 13th cent. reported in the British Medical Journal The British Medical Journal, or BMJ, is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world.[2] It is published by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (owned by the British Medical Association), whose other . ``Our main concern is that young men are taking anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids A group of drugs derived from the male sex hormone testosterone, most commonly prescribed to promote growth or to help the body repair tissues weakened by severe illness or aging. Some anabolic steroids are given as appetite stimulants. for recreational use without knowing the potentially serious consequences,'' he wrote. Anabolic steroids mimic the effects of male hormones such as testosterone and increase lean body mass and body weight. However, the steroids also may prevent the pituitary gland pituitary gland, small oval endocrine gland that lies at the base of the brain. It is sometimes called the master gland of the body because all the other endocrine glands depend on its secretions for stimulation (see endocrine system). from releasing sex hormones that affect fertility. Steroids' effects on fertility are so potent that some of them are being tested for use as a male contraceptive, the British researchers noted. Sudies also have linked long-term, high-dose steroid use with an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, liver disease Liver Disease Definition Liver disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the liver. Description The liver is a large, solid organ located in the upper right-hand side of the abdomen. and decreased testicle testicle /tes·ti·cle/ (tes´ti-k'l) testis. tes·ti·cle n. A testis, especially one contained within the scrotum. testicle testis. size. In the British study, a 28-year-old man took steroids given to him by friends for five months as part of his weight-training regimen. When he came to the infertility clinic for help, his sperm count was 5 million sperm per millimeter. According to the World Health Organization, men with total sperm counts below 20 million sperm per millimeter may experience fertility problems, But pregnancy was achieved six months after discontinuing steroid usage, the researchers wrote. Not all men who take steroids are that lucky, according to Dr. Harry Fisch, the director of the Male Reproductive Center at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . ``Theoretically, sperm counts are supposed to come back up after a person stops taking steroids, but a lot of bodybuilders' sperm counts do not increase even once they are off steroids,'' he said. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion