Why Steroids are Dangerous for Women
One of the most hyped things in the fitness and bodybuilder industry is steroids, yes, even women take steroids. We have all seen those women with big bulging muscles. Steroid use among women is obvious, however, sometimes its hard to know if a woman has been taking steroids.
A lot of women who use steroids don’t fully understand that steroids are dangerous and long term use can cause irreversible side effects.
A lot of women believe that the only way they can burn fat and get in shape is by taking steroids. Yes, it is true that steroids work and the proof is all around us. If you visit any popular gym you have probably run into a few women muscular women who have incredible bodies. If you have not seen them at your local gym they are everywhere on social media.
While it’s evident that a lot of women train hard and watch their diet some of them use performance-enhancing drugs.
Just because women take steroids does not make it ok, what some women may not realize is that the side effects of steroids can be severe.
I like to compare the similarities of the effects of anabolic steroids with alcohol use.
Men have a higher alcohol tolerance than women. This is because women have less of the enzyme ADH (Alcohol dehydrogenases). This enzyme is found in the stomach lining and helps absorb alcohol, since women have less ADH than men they become drunk quicker.
Just like alcohol, steroids have a much different effect on women than they do men.
The reason for this is that the main sex hormone in men is testosterone, in women it’s estrogen, however, women do produce small amounts of testosterone.
Anabolic steroids are derivatives of testosterone, so you can see why steroids would affect women.
Putting excess amounts of testosterone into a woman’s body will begin to transform a woman’s body in many different ways.
While some women may realize that side effects from steroids do exist, a lot of women will choose to ignore them. We know for a fact that steroids are dangerous, even for men, with women those side effects can be 1000 times worse.
Many of the side effects of anabolic steroids affect men and women in similar ways.
Steroid side effects:
- High blood pressure
- Acne
- Oily skin
- High cholesterol
- Balding
- Potential tendon ruptures
- Enlarged heart
- potential liver disease
The severity of the side effects depend a lot on the type of steroid and the dose.
Steroid use among women increases testosterone, when this happens it causes virilizing effects.
What this means is that women begin to take on man like traits.
Steroid side effects specific to women:
- Clitoral enlargement (clitoromegaly)
- Deepening of the voice
- Excess facial and body hair
- Male pattern baldness
- Irregular periods
- Reduced breast size
While some of the symptoms are not life-threatening many of them can become permanent.
The most common side effects that are noticed first is a deeper voice and clitoral enlargement which may also become permanent.
Worst steroids for women
You may think that all steroids are the same but there are some that are worse than others. When it comes to side effects the biggest concern for women is should be the steroids half-life.
A steroids Half-life is the length of time a steroid substance stays in your body.
Why is this a concern?
Because, if you were to take a steroid with a half-life of say 12 days and you begin to experience side effects there would be no way to stop them from progressing. In other words, you would have to wait for the steroid to run its full course.
For example, Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone) has a half-life of 14 days, if you were to take this steroid and you began to notice a deepening of your voice there would be no way to stop the progression until the substance was completely out of your system which is about 14 days.
The worst thing is that a deeper voice is one of those side effects that can’t be reversed, the same goes for clitoral enlargement. This is why there are some steroids women should not take.
Steroids that can cause the worst side effects in women:
Dianabol has a short half-life of (4.5–5 hours) unfortunately, Dianabol is highly androgenic, even in low doses, it will increase testosterone. In spite of its half-life, this is a steroid women should avoid.
Trenbolone is a steroid that women should not use, it is extremely androgenic and can cause severe virilizing effects that are not reversible. The half-life of Trenbolone is slightly under three days which is enough time for it to give you unwanted side effects.
Anadrol is a steroid used by women who want to put on a lot of muscle, and it is effective, however, this is a steroid women should avoid. Although Anadrol has a half-life of 6–8 hours it can remain in your system for up to 3 days.
Oral Anadrol is hepatoxic 1 and can affect your liver ( liver tumors and blood filled cysts) so women should be extremely cautious with this steroid.
Do female friendly steroids exist?
There are steroids that are considered female-friendly, however, this does not mean that they won’t cause side effects. There are two steroids that are often talked about by women, those are Primobolan and Anavar.
Primobolan (methenolone) is considered a female-friendly steroid, it has a lower androgenic rating 2 than many steroids, which is why a lot of women use it in low doses. Even so, it can cause symptoms of virilization.
Anavar (Oxandrolone) is available in injectable and oral pills, there is no recommended therapeutic dose established for women.
Some women will take doses ranging from 5–20 mg but even so, if taken for a long time it can cause side effects, one of the most talked about side effects is hair loss. While losing your hair is not life-threatening a lot of women may not want to justify gaining a little muscle in exchange for losing their hair.
Taking higher doses of Anavar can cause symptoms of masculinization, should they appear you should discontinue immediately, the half-life of Anavar is 8 hours.
Winstrol is another popular steroid that is often used by women, in fact dues to its popularity many women believe this is the safest steroid you can take. This could no be further from the truth, yes, it can help you burn body fat but it can also cause side effects.
Winstrol can cause deepening of the voice, clitoral enlargement and even cardiovascular issues. So when women say that Winstrol does not cause side effects this is not true because it does.
As you can see, even if a steroid is considered female-friendly they are not.
Many steroids are counterfeit
Steroids are illegal in many countries and most of them are only available online from underground labs and the black market. A lot of times it’s hard to be sure if you are getting a legitimate steroid so buyer beware.
There are plenty of horror stories from women who have ordered Primobolan and actually received Dianabol, after a couple of days they began to have some noticeable side effects.
Buying anabolic steroids from an underground lab is risky business, so before you do make sure you talk to someone who has experience and knows a reputable source.
Are steroids right for you?
Unless you are competing as a pro bodybuilder, fitness model, or powerlifter you most likely don’t need to take steroids. A lot of women feel that the only way to get rid of extra body fat and gain muscle is by taking them. The truth is there are so many physical transformations you can achieve just by making changes to your diet and training.
Steroids are not magical substances that work on their own, in order for them to be effective you have to train hard and be disciplined in order for them to be effective.
Conclusion
Steroids are dangerous and are not something that women should rush into, most women can achieve their fitness goals without them, even though you hear the term “female friendly steroids” you should be cautious, steroids are derivatives of the male sex hormone testosterone and improper use will have you wishing you never took them in the first place.
References:
https://www.rxlist.com/anadrol-50-side-effects-drug-center.htm#overview
