Steroids & Erectile Dysfunction: Why It Happens & How to Prevent It

Erectile dysfunction is a challenging condition and becomes even more complex when combined with the use of steroids.

Understanding the underlying causes is the first step towards finding effective solutions. This blog delves into the idea of can steroids make you impotent, the science behind it, and the practical steps that you can take to manage your sexual health. 

What Is Erectile  Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is a condition that is characterized by the inability to achieve and sustain a firm penile erection. It is found among 30 million men in the USA. The causes of ED might include physical factors such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and neurological conditions. This might also be related to psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, or relationship issues. 

What Are Steroids?

Steroids are a group of organic compounds and are characterized by their molecular structure that contains four rings of carbon atoms.  These are largely diverse and include hormones, alkaloids, vitamins, and drugs in the class of organic compounds. 

Steroids are generally used for two things. One is when you suffer from an inflammatory disease such as eczema or asthma. And the other is something that helps in building muscle at the gym. 

Corticosteroids are used for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. These help mimic cortisol, a steroid hormone that is produced by our adrenal gland. Cortisol has a great impact on your body which is involved in many of its regular functions. There are also certain other steroids known as anabolic steroids that are used to build muscle in the gym and mimic the function of testosterone. 

What Type Of Steroids Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

The different types of steroids that cause erectile dysfunction are:

Anabolic steroids–

When you are taking steroids on a regular basis at a high dosage for a long enough period, anabolic steroids can impact male sexual health. The steroids not only decrease the sperm count but also make your testicles shrink.

An imbalance in the testosterone and estrogen levels causes sexual dysfunction or erectile dysfunction. 

Once you stop using steroids, the body stops producing its testosterone for an extended period of time. This results in low concentrations of the male sex hormone, resulting in erectile dysfunction. 

 How Do Steroids Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

When an inflammation is caused by an infection or injury, the immune system response sends out white blood cells and chemicals to defend against harmful foreign bodies that include bacteria as well as viruses. 

Unfortunately, the process might not work and the body’s immune system does not function as it should. It might result in uncontrolled inflammation. The inflammation might cause symptoms such as redness, swelling, pain, and heat. If serious inflammation is uncontrolled or not treated it can damage certain tissues and organs. 

Corticosteroids decrease inflammation, which reduces the activity of the immune system. The steroids might hamper the production of chemicals that might cause inflammation and reduce tissue damage as much as possible. In addition, corticosteroids help by altering how the white blood cells work and reduce the body’s inflammatory response. 

Anabolic steroids

Anabolic steroids help stimulate muscle growth by mimicking the testosterone effects. Anabolic steroids primarily mimic testosterone that binds intracellular steroid receptors. It is necessary to take anabolic steroids that work to build muscle.

Long-Term Consequences Of Steroids On Reproductive Health 

Once you stop using steroids, the body is not able to produce testosterone over an extended period of time. It might result in a low concentration of male sex hormones, and therefore, this results in issues such as erectile dysfunction. 

Erectile dysfunction or impotence is not the only side effect of long-term anabolic steroid use. Most of the side effects are harmful and might also cause permanent body damage and even death. 

Some of the long-term side effects of anabolic steroids are:

• Damaged arteries.
• Aggression. 
• Delusions. 
• Mania. 
• High blood pressure. 
• Acne. 
• Blood clots.
• Cardiovascular issues.
• Enlarged breasts.
• Heart attacks.
• Testicular cancer. 
• Cardiomyopathy.
• Psychiatric or mental disorders. 

In addition, there are other side effects, such as tendon rupture and certain liver issues that can occur along with the infection risk of HIV, Hepatitis B, and C due to unsafe needle practices or contaminated products. 

Therefore, it is important to understand that testosterone is a hormone that is not only needed to build and sustain muscle mass but is also used in many other normal functions in the human body including behavioral functions. 

This is the reason why anabolic steroids are limited legally and should only be used when prescribed by a doctor for specific medical conditions. 

How To Manage Sexual Side Effects Of Anabolic Steroid Use?

The first and foremost thing you can do to manage Erectile dysfunction because of the high level of steroid use is to change your basic lifestyle and stop taking anabolic steroids. 

It is unfortunate that it might take anywhere from three months to a year to recover normal testosterone levels in your body. It might take a long time to reach previous levels of sexual performance. In certain circumstances, it might take a long time to return back to normal. 

In case erectile dysfunction still persists after ceasing steroid use, there are a range of treatments that you can undergo in an attempt to restore normal sexual function. One of the functions is to take a PDE5 inhibitor, such as generic Viagra that increases the blood flow to the penis that will help you sustain an erection long enough for sexual intercourse. 

In addition, there are other non-permanent treatments, such as pumps and constriction rings,  used to sustain an erection. 

However, it is always important to talk to your doctor about the best treatments for you.  The treatments might vary depending on the severity of your situation and other side effects you might face from anabolic steroids that you might have. To know more about the risk factors of anabolic steroids, visit the blog Anabolic steroids: uses and side effects given on the site Cleveland Clinic. 

Conclusion

There are certain benefits of anabolic steroids that do not outweigh the risks of steroid abuse. The use of anabolic steroids might result in your mental and physical health. 

The long-term use of steroids not only lowers the sperm count but also reduces the size of your testes and might result in erectile dysfunction.  Erectile dysfunction is prevalent among people who have used steroids for a long time. 

You should always discuss your symptoms when you are suffering from ED because of steroid abuse.