Anabolic Steroids.

Essay by divastar1111Junior High, 8th grade October 2005

download word file, 1 pages 4.3

Anabolic Steroids are related to male sex hormones. "Anabolic" refers to muscle building and "Steroids" is a class of drugs. These drugs are available legally but only with prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone (which is- a male steroid hormone produced in the testicles and responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics, such as delayed puberty and some types of incapability. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. However, this can lead to serious health problems, some which can't be cured.

Today, athletes and others use anabolic steroids to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as "cycling"), rather than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again.

In addition, users often combine several different types of steroids to increasing their effective while decreasing negative effects.

The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumours and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in bad cholesterol, and decreases in good cholesterol. Other side effects include kidney tumours, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:

- For men -- shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer.

- For women -- growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or pause of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris (sensitive sex organ), deepened voice.

- For adolescents -- growth halted prematurely through premature thin growth and faster puberty changes.