Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)
A note about available steroid information: Most of what is out there on muscle forums and even medical studies is primarily written with men in mind. The subject of women and steroids is much less studied and published. The detail written here is based on both published and anecdotal information, and some good guesses based on ?what seems to work?. This puts more of the onus on women to educate themselves to make informed choices for themselves. Always remember: YOUR body, YOUR results, YOUR sides. Well-intentioned husbands / boyfriends / male friends / guys from the gym, even experienced, are not necessarily going to be giving you the best or right information on which to base your decisions. The basic chemistry is different, the dosing is different and the risks are different. At the end of the day, it is always your own personal chemistry experiment and no one can take the risks for you.
And a last note on what should be the obvious thought ? ANY supplement ? over-the-counter, prescribed or illegal, is always only going to be a SUPPLEMENT to an already existing and functioning diet and training program. There are no quicky fixes and nothing is for free. You will not get the results you envision using any supplement if you don?t already have your diet and training in place and working. If this is not true, chances are you are going to end up in a place worse than better.
This section will include links to the standard steroid profiles for the technical details, with most of the discussion focused on use, specifically for women. Please note that most steroid profiles are written with men in mind as the target audience and relative to male hormone profiles. Any dosing recommended is not going to be appropriate for women unless otherwise specified.
Here are two articles in general that are worth reading:
· Women and Steroids
· Women and Testosterone:
Anavar (Oxandrolone)
Anavar is probably the most commonly used AAS by women, for physique competition or by women who "want to go to the next level". It might be used by figure competitors for off-season building with an appropriate diet, or during contest prep for cutting, preservation of muscle during a cutting diet, and improved recovery.
Anavar promotes lean muscle mass with minimal sides and occasional water retention. It is a oral steroid, though used in small enough doses that its impact on the liver is minimal for women. It is also attractive to women and beginners who are not interested in dealing with needles. The predictable and minimal sides are also attractive points to those not wanting to deal with the more individual and androgenic sides of most other AAS.
Anavar Profile
Typical Cycle
· Dose: 10 mg / day - split the dose 1/2 in the AM, 1/2 in the PM
· Duration: 10-14 weeks
· No need to taper down the dose or follow with post cycle therapy (PCT).
· It is generally suggested to start the cycle at 5 mg / day (splitting doses as above) for the first 10-14 days to identify any adverse reaction. After that time, you can increase to 10 mg / day.
· Suggested maximum dose is 20 mg / day (though more is not better - often 10 mg is sufficient). As the dose increases, sides may increase and results don't necessarily increase. Anecdotally, if the cycler is interested in going to doses above 20 mg, the sides can begin to accumulate and the impact on your liver becomes more of a consideration. Based on this and the cost (anavar is typically one of the more expensive compounds), if you are looking for more aggressive results, this is the point where people will move to a more aggressive, cheaper, injectable compound.
Typical Sides
· interrupted period / flow - may take a few months for the flow to come back as normal. Note this does NOT mean you won?t get pregnant.
· you may still experience usual menstrual sides (cramps, bloating, etc.) on your regular menstrual schedule
· mild acne
· Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity
· oily hair
· some experience water retention (though not due to aromatization)
· may cause vaginosis / yeast infection (most any AAS has this potential)
· occasionally people experience nose bleeds
Winstrol
Winstrol, or ?winny?, is one of the steroids most commonly suggested for women (along with anavar and primobolan). Winstrol comes in both oral and water-based injectable form. It is attractive to women or recommended for women because it is an oral, it has a relatively short half-life and detection time (i.e .it clears the system relatively quickly, reducing the duration of any undesirable sides following completion of a cycle), and promotes lean muscle mass without water retention. It is most commonly viewed as a ?cutter? for physique competition. Winstrol is also attractive as it tends to be both cheaper and more readily available than anavar or primobolan. Because of this, it is also less likely to be faked.
Winstrol is often grouped with anavar as a good steroid for ?beginners? or those who don?t want to go into the more aggressive compounds (i.e. injectables). However it is more androgenic than anavar and sides are less predictable and more unique to the individual, with the potential of being very androgenic. Because of this, anavar would generally be the better recomendation, but winstrol is seen as a viable alternative. As an androgenic compound, it also has a ?fat burning? effect.
Winstrol Profile
Typical Use:
Winstrol is most commonly used both by men and women, as a cutter during competition prep. It promotes lean, hard muscle mass without water retention. One might see figure competitors running a winstrol-only cycle, or a more advanced physique competitor using it in a stack towards the final weeks of a competition prep. It might also be used, especially in oral form, by someone who wants to ?take it to the next level?, not necessarily for competition.
Typical Cycle:
· Oral Winstrol: Can be cycled similarly to anavar.
o Dose: 5-15 mg/day- split the dose ½ in the AM, ½ in the PM
o Duration: 8-12 weeks
o Takes about 10-14 days to ?show? itself.
· Injectable Winstrol:
o Dose: 25 mg E3D
o Duration: 8-12 weeks
· No taper or post-cycle therapy needed
· If chosen to include in a competition cutting stack, schedule towards the final weeks of prep. It takes about 2 weeks to ?show? itself.
Typical Sides:
· Interrupted period/flow ? may take a few months for the flow to come back as normal.
· May still experience usual menstrual sides (cramps, bloating, etc.) on your regular menstrual schedule.
· Mild to aggressive acne on face or shoulders
· Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity
· Oily skin / hair
· Hairloss
· Scratchy throat / cracky or deepening voice
· Dry joints
· may cause vaginosis / yeast infection (most any AAS has this potential)
· Winstrol is occasionally called the ?snake bite? drug in that it either likes you or it doesn?t. People will occasionally experience flu-like symptoms within the first week or two of a winstrol cycle in response to this compound.
Primobolan
Primobolan or ?primo?, comes in both oral and injectable form. The injectable, Primobolan Depot, is most commonly used. Tab form, primobolan acetate, was popular but had disappeared for a while. It has recently become more available.
Primobolan Profile
Typical Use:
Primo has been listed as one of the top three favorite cycles for women, in addition to anavar and winstrol. Because it does not aromatize, again it is a favorite cycle both for cutting or bulking off-season. Lean gains are good for a women looking to build some size but not get ?hyuge?. The injectable was the only one available for several years, so it was seen as a more aggressive cycle which required injections. Beyond the issue with injections, it is the more popular and more readily available of the two. In the late 90s into the 2000?s, it had a reputation frequently being faked because it was not a cheap compound. The tabs, as most other orals, are seen as less ?hardcore? and more acceptable for women. Primo tabs are unique in that the oral form is one of the few orals that is not hard on the liver, but at the same time, it loses a degree of its strength as it passes through your system, thus higher doses are required.
Typical Cycle:
· Injectable Primo:
o Dose: 50-150 mg per week
o Duration: 10-14 weeks
o Tends to take about 5 weeks to ?show? itself.
· Primo tabs:
o Dose: 50-75mg per day
o Duration: 10-14 weeks
· No taper or post-cycle therapy is needed.
· This is often the primary component of a prep phase. It can be run all the way up to a show without promoting water retention issues.
· More experienced cyclers will often stack with winstrol or anavar.
Potential Sides:
· Notorious for hairloss - A shampoo like Nizoral or Nioxin can help minimize this.
· Acne (face or shoulders)
· Facial hair growth
· Sore throat / cracky or deepened voice
· Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity
· Oily hair
· Interrupted period/flow ? may take a few months for the flow to come back as normal.
· May still experience usual menstrual sides (cramps, bloating, etc.) on your regular menstrual schedule.
· may cause vaginosis / yeast infection (most any AAS has this potential)
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