How Steroid Use Leads To Sagging Of Scrotum?

Chronic steroid users complaints about their sac being empty as the shrunken balls fail to fill up the vacuum within. The balls hang low and it is the sac that usually stands out rather than the balls. Definitely, not a pretty picture to imagine since no man would want his sac to appear empty.

What Causes Scrotal Sagging And Testicular Shrinkage?

It is a known fact that chronic intake of anabolic steroids can lead to sagging of scrotum. This drastic change progressively occurs within days to weeks of initiating the steroid therapy and things may begin to get even worse if not carefully dealt with at the right time.

Persistent use of steroids results in loss of volume and weight of testicles, subsequently causing the tightening of scrotum, moving the balls upwards, closer to the body. The red flag goes up especially during winter season when the penis entirely covers the scrotum making the steroid users look almost castrated.

This stage is often referred to as the ‘’grape stage’’, characterized by anomalous grape sized appearance of testicles. Strong muscles for shrunken balls? It is not even worth it. Steroids not only shrink the testes but also causes estrogen rebound.

Once a man is on the steroid cycle, the internal estrogen secretions becomes suppressed but as soon as these men get off steroids, estrogen levels return back to the normal (and often elevated levels). It is imperative to mention that abrupt steroids withdrawal almost always skyrockets the estrogen levels and leads to testicular atrophy. Meanwhile the levels of testosterone and its potent derivative also begin to decline, making men even more depressed.

How Long Does It Take To Regain The Scrotal Shape And Size?

Men who abuse steroids usually remain unable to attain the size they lost during steroid cycling, even after 5-15 years of withdrawal. The PCT (post cycle therapy) is often met as a quick fix to shrunken testes or testicular atrophy that results from anabolic steroid abuse. However, the results may vary from individual to individual.

Agents like Clomid, HGG and Nolva are either injected or swallowed by the patient in order to restore testes back to its functioning form. Since the luteinizing hormone (LH) regulates the duly functioning of testicles, with chronic steroid abuse, LH becomes negatively affected and PCT offers little help in turning things around. Even if things do work out and the user begins to experience significant testicular mass, he is still likely to suffer from some serious sexual side effects like:

• Erectile dysfunction
• Poor ejaculation
• Poor libido
• Eventually leading to prolong depression
• Psychosis

There’s no telling how long these symptoms are going to stick around.

A study from The American Journal of Psychiatry highlighted that 12% of the athletes who were on steroids exhibited psychotic symptoms. Bipolar disorder and antisocial personality disorder is also very common in athletes who are addicted to using steroids.

Not every man who abuses steroids is likely to experience psychosis but every man will definitely experience atrophic testicles and sexual side effects with time, even off-cycle.

So why emasculate oneself for the sake of well-defined bulging muscles that will eventually disappear once you go off the steroid cycle? It is better to be thoroughly aware about the consequences of abusing steroids as one slipup can cost a great deal.

References

• Kanayama, G., Hudson, J. I., DeLuca, J., Isaacs, S., Baggish, A., Weiner, R., ... & Pope, H. G. (2015). Prolonged hypogonadism in males following withdrawal from anabolic–androgenic steroids: an under‐recognized problem. Addiction, 110(5), 823-831.
• Rahnema, C. D., Lipshultz, L. I., Crosnoe, L. E., Kovac, J. R., & Kim, E. D. (2014). Anabolic steroid–induced hypogonadism: diagnosis and treatment. Fertility and sterility, 101(5), 1271-1279.