How do anabolic steroids affect the endocrine system?


Anabolic steroids imitate the endocrine hormone testosterone,
leading to the many possible side effects described in this
database. They cause the pituitary gland to stop secreting FSH and
LH, which results in temporary infertility in men and menstrual
irregularities in women.

Steroids cause the thyroid, which regulates the body's
metabolic rate, to stop secreting the hormone TSH.
In spite of this, the thyroid gland itself appears to be
unaffected, and thyroid function is normal.

In rats prone to diabetes, anabolic steroids speed the
development of diabetes. In humans, steroids are
associated with increased insulin resistance and changes in glucose
tolerance. These conditions imitate the symptoms
of diabetes, although there has never been a case of diabetes known
to have been caused by steroid abuse.