Chemical castration

Chemical castration is castration via anaphrodisiac drugs, whether to reduce libido and sexual activity, to treat cancer, or otherwise. Unlike surgical castration, where the gonads are removed through an incision in the body,^[1] chemical castration does not remove organs and is not a form of sterilization.^[2]

Chemical castration is generally reversible when treatment is discontinued,^[3] although permanent effects in body chemistry can sometimes be seen, as in the case of bone density loss increasing with length of use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). In men, chemical castration reduces sex drive and the capacity for sexual arousal, side effects of some drugs may include depression, suicide ideations, hot flashes, anemia, infertility, increase in body fat and higher risks of cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis. In women, chemical castration acts by decreasing testosterone levels in order to lower their sex drive, side effects include the deflation of breast glands, expansion of the size of the nipple and shrinking of bone mass.

In some jurisdictions, chemical castration has been used to reduce the libido of sexual offenders.^[4] The effectiveness of chemical castration in decreasing recidivism among sex offenders is controversial.