Steroids -- Cause and Effect Term Paper

What causes women to risk their health? Clearly the hoped-for effect is to improve their performances. Sutton explains that a woman on anabolic steroids will have less body fat and her body muscle mass will offer her more strength. "She may also develop euphoria and a heightened self-esteem… and have much more energy" (Sutton, 4). Moreover, women on steroids may experience "…heightened sexual arousal" and athletically inclined men are apt to be more attracted to her. She will have negative effects too, such as being irritable, experiencing dramatic mood swings, and she may even go into a "roid rage" -- or become depressed -- when she sees a woman that looks better than she does (Sutton, 5).

It should also be explained that women on anabolic steroids may begin to develop a body that is more like a man's body (after all, anabolic steroids increase testosterone production). Her breasts may decrease in size, her jaw line can begin to become more square, and unlike what happens with men, when women stop using anabolic steroids, their bodies don't go back to what they were; in fact "…sometimes the effects can last for life" (Specificity, 2012).

What are the effects from the continuing use of anabolic steroids?

The Medline Plus component of the National Institutes of Health explains that there are several negative effects associated with use / abuse of anabolic steroids. They are: acne and cysts; breast growth and shrinking of testicles in men; voice deepening and growth of body hair in women; possible heart attacks; disease of the liver (which may include cancer); and aggressive behaviors (Medline Plus).

In conclusion, when the cause is so important to a major league baseball player like Ken Caminiti that he takes larges doses of anabolic steroids to improve his performance, the effect is death. Caminiti was MVP of the National League in 1996; "I got really strong, really quick," Caminiti explained (Mileur, 2004); he was the first MLB player to admit to taking anabolic steroids. And he died in 2004 of a heart attack at age 41. The negative publicity that has been on the Web, on TV, in newspapers and in most locker rooms in high school, college and the pros, apparently hasn't been enough because young people are still experimenting with anabolic steroids. And while they are hoping for that competitive edge, what they are really doing is trying to become someone they are not, and playing with fire in the process.

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control. (2010). Corticosteroid Therapy / Information for people with Diamond Blackfan anemia, and their families. Retrieved August 9, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov.

Medline Plus. (2009). Anabolic Steroids / Also Called Anabolic-androgenic steroids,

Performance-enhancing drugs. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.nim.hih.gov/medlineplus/anabolicsteroids.html.

Mileur, Ray. (2004). Steroids claim the life of Ken Caminiti -- Was it worth it? The Birdhouse.

Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.thestlcardinals.com.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2010). Steroids (Anabolic). Retrieved August 9, 2012, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/steroids-anabolic.

Specificity. (2012). Steroids: Facts and Fairytales. Hubpages. Retrieved August 9, 2012, from http://specificity.hubpages.com/hub/steroids-facts-and-fairytales.

Sutton, Lindsay. (2012). Anabolic Steroids: Not Just for Men Anymore. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/anabolic_steroids.htm.