Castration

Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, that disables the function of testes in males: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy, while chemical castration uses pharmaceutical drugs to deactivate the testes. Some forms of castration cause sterilization ; it also greatly reduces the production of sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. Surgical castration in animals is often called neutering.