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Steroid side effects on women are they worth the risk?
The most common side effects of steroid use that occurs in women have to do with a decrease in feminine aspects and the appearance of male characteristics.
Women also face many of the same health issues and risks that men do when they use steroids. Beyond those risks are even more issues that impact fertility and fetal health.
In this blog, we discuss the side effects that women may encounter when using steroids for bodybuilding. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most common steroid side effects on women.
Anabolic Steroids and Women
Anabolic steroids are man-made versions of testosterone – the masculine hormone. This is literally the hormone that changes a boy into a man and for women, that is a bid deal. When women take anabolic steroids, they move their body closer to that position where an adolescent boy starts to undergo puberty. The side effects experienced by women include:
• Growing facial hair – beard and mustache
• Male Pattern Baldness – While the exact cause of male pattern baldness is not known, it is known that hormones play a role in the loss of hair and it is suspected that the events that lead to male pattern baldness are unique to the individual.
• The growth of body hair – In addition to growing hair on their faces, women may also experience an increase in hair growth on other parts of their bodies, such as in the genital region, under arms, on legs, and on their breasts.
• Physical Bodily Changes – When men take too much estrogen, they can grow breast tissue and develop man boobs. When women take too much testosterone or too much of the anabolic hormones, they risk changes to their bodies too. For women, the risk is growing a larger clitoris
• Increased Body Weight – Expect that your body will not only want to grow muscles but store fat too.
There are other risks that move a woman’s body closer to the development of the male body. Will taking anabolic steroids completely turn you a woman into a man? Not in the physical sense, though manly physical traits show up during the process. A woman will not grow a penis, though in extreme cases her clitoris may enlarge and become out of proportion with the rest of her genitalia.
Health Risks to Women Who Take Anabolic Steroids
Some health risks include the formation of cysts and an increased likelihood of developing mild to severe acne. Like with men, women run the risk of damaging major organs such as kidneys, liver, and even the heart.
There are also behavior changes. Testosterone is an aggressive hormone and as with men, when women take testosterone they become more aggressive and prone to strong emotions such as exaggerated anger that can lead to violence. Some women might develop neurological complications such as hand and body shaking as seen in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Are the Health Risks Serious?
Absolutely, they can be. They key word there is “can.” Anabolic steroids are very powerful, and they affect each of us differently. One of the biggest pitfalls for both men and women who use anabolic steroids is that they think the results or side effects will mirror that of their friends.
They don’t. Your girlfriend may take the same anabolic steroid that you do and have completely different reactions. While many of the side effects that we talk about in this article occur at high levels or after long-term use, some may show up after a single use.
Not All Anabolic Steroids Affect Women Equally
There are some anabolic steroids that are kinder to women then are others. They are often ranked by low, medium, and high risk of virilization (the development of male characteristics) Some of the kinder anabolic steroids include:
• Methenolone Acetate
• Oral or injectable Winstrol (sold as Stanozolol),
• Oxandrolone.
Some of the highest risks for women are associated with:
• Testosterone
• Trenbolone
• Oxymetholone
• Methandrostenolone
While we have taken the bold step to say some steroids are kinder to women than are other, the reality is that all anabolic steroids pose a hazard. Most are also illegal to poses and use without a prescription from a medical doctor with an active and clear license to practice medicine.
The last side effect of anabolic steroid for women is the legal one. Using anabolic steroids can put you in jail, cause you to lose your job, destroy your relationships, and potentially even kill you.
Conclusion
Over the last decade, the abuse of anabolic steroids has increased, there have been more deaths that have affected both male and female bodybuilders.
The truth is steroids have caused more severe side effects on women than they do men. Unless you are competing professionally the best thing is to avoid them. There other alternatives including legal steroids for women that offer similar benefits without the side effects.
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Hi My name is Rosalie and the author of Womenandmuscle.com I started this blog to help women understand a little about the side effects of anabolic steroids and share some of my favorite alternatives that have helped me stay in shape and improve my performance in the gym.