Will Steroids Shrink Your Testicles?

If you have any interest in fitness and particularly building muscle then you’re going to know what steroids are.

Whether you’ve taken them or are considering taking them you’ll want to know whether the rumor that they’ll shrink your testicles is true or not.

The simple answer is ‘Yes!’

That might not be the one you want to hear but there is a scientific reason why this is the case. Big muscles via steroids come at a price; you have to decide if it’s worth it.

The Cause

Testosterone is produced in your testes. This is an essential hormone for a variety of roles in your body; including libido, sexual function and muscle building.

Unfortunately if you are training exceptionally hard your body may not be able to produce enough testosterone to build your muscles as fast as you wish.

Combine this with the fact that testosterone levels start to decline as you age and you can see why many men turn to steroids.

The Problem

Steroids introduce a massive amount of synthetic testosterone into your body. This gives you the boost you need to work out harder and increase your muscle size.

But, your body is very sensitive. It monitors the levels of all hormones and adjusts production to match your needs.

When you introduce a large amount of testosterone via steroids the body senses there is enough T available for your needs. It then turns off the androgen production for testosterone.

In effect, it tells your testes to stop working; they don’t need to produce testosterone as you have enough already.

Unfortunately, like most things in life, when you stop using something it stops working and may never work the same way again.

As your testes will no longer be full of testosterone they will literally shrink.

A study from the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics at Cardiff Royal Infirmary confirmed that 40 out of 100 men had shrunken testicles due to steroid use.

Is It Permanent?

This will depend on your use of steroids. The longer you use them and the higher the dose the less likely it is that your balls will return to their normal size.

A safe approach to steroids means taking a reasonable quantity for your current body mass and your intended gains. You would need to take this for 2 – 3 weeks and then be off steroids for at least 4 weeks.

It takes a month for your body to restore normal testosterone production and for your balls to return to their normal size.

If you cycle off for less than this then your body is not having enough chance to recover and the damage will almost certainly be permanent.

Ideally staying off them for 6 weeks will help to ensure your natural T levels return.

But, the length of time you have been taking steroids also makes a difference.

Cycling on and off over a long period of time can eventually leave your testes exhausted and the androgens will be shut down permanently.

It won’t matter then how long you cycle off, the damage will be done to your ball size and your T production.

Other Risks

Steroids come in all shapes and sizes. You need to understand that some of these carry more risks than others.

For example, Deca-durabolin is drip fed into your body. While this happens your natural levels of DHT reduce.

DHT is responsible for the quality of your erection. Taking this steroid is likely to give you erectile dysfunction.

Is It Worth The Ball Ache?

The bottom line is that only you can decide whether you want to take steroids or not. The muscle gains are real, but so is the damage to your testes and the other side effects.

Your long term health and quality of life can suffer for the sake of some fast muscle gains today.

It is worth considering safer alternatives before committing such as using natural supplements designed to increase testosterone production to optimal levels within the normal range.

Take a look at the best testosterone boosters on the market to find out more.