Hello ASFers!
I am just starting to research steroid use and would greatly appreciate anyone who will take the time to answer any or all of the questions I have so far.
1. I have read that steroids can help with not only muscle growth but also with losing stored fat more quickly. This seems like it would be of particular interest to women, but I don't see as many women as I thought I would in here! Is this more a guy's thing?
2. What was it that made you decide to use AS supplements to go beyond your body's natural limits? Thus far, I am still leaning toward seeing what my body can achieve naturally. I am afraid to introduce any AS supplements.
3. I imagine you researched before first trying. I can find all kinds of substantiated negative info. Where can I please find substantiated positive info that shows which supplements are safe to use and have the least harmful side effects?
4. And maybe this will be irrelevant when people answer the above question, but with all of the proven negative side effects, how did you decide to go ahead and weigh your chances and take the plunge? And once you did, what are the positives that keep you continuing? Did you experience any negatives?
Thank you so much!
NW
Welcome aboard Natural Woman. I find your opening post in this thread to be a refreshing change from the usual. Keep in mind that I am 55 yrs old, and didn't begin to use gear until I was 43 yrs old and since then I've only used about 5 different kinds, ( 4 being AAS's & 1 being GH). As you might or might not already know, there are at least a dozen or more types of gear, and some guys on here have experimented with all of them or practically all of them. Anyways, here's my 4 cents ( I'll try to give you some answers to the four questions you've asked in the same order in which you've asked them):
1. When it comes to Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, (AKA "AAS's") you would do well to always keep three things in mind whenever someone is giving you suggestions, advice, or merely sharing with you what has worked for them:
A. Everyone's body reacts differently to these compounds. And that goes for side effects as well as the intended or desirable effects. You might experience the same side effects as Joe Blow at the gym has, but not the same as Wendy Windbag has, and at the same time the desireable effects they experienced might not be the same for you either. You just don't know until these drugs are in your system for atleast 3 to 4 weeks. So while most guys will tell you that AAS's will never contribute to fat loss at all, you occassionally will find some people who will swear that they have helped them in that area. However I am by no means implying that gear use will or can take the place of a proper diet and hard exercise.
B. This is BIG.... one of the reasons that AAS use is much more of a "guy thang" is simply due to the fact that Anabolic ANDROGENIC Steroids ARE in fact ANDROGENS not Estrogens. All AAS's are derivatives or chemical deviations of the male sex hormone Testosterone. So I'm sure that most women are not going to be as interested in puting male hormones in their body just as most men wouldn't be interested in using female hormones such as Estrogen.
C. Because All AAS's are Androgens, they ALL have the potential to have a virilization/masculinizing effects on the female body. Some of those effects can be temporary, but some can be permanent. These virilization effects can include deepening of the voice pitch due to thickening of the vocal cords, (this one is probably more prone to being a permanent thing than some of the others) facial hair, body hair, and clitoral enlargement AKA "man in the boat" LOL, (another permanent effect when and if it occurs). However, some AAS's have much less of the Androgenic chemical structure and more of the Anabolic structure than others. Anavar is one of the least androgenic AAS's made, however it's also one of the most faked and one of the most expensive AAS's too. So Anavar is probably the most used by female BBers because of it's potential to cause masculinizing effects to the female anatomy being much lower than other AAS compounds such as Anadrol, Masteron, Dianabol, etc., etc., etc. however this doesn't mean that Anavar is without other types of side effects which can effect either gender ( I'll get into that later)....
2. For me personally, the factors which caused me to choose to use gear in the first place have to do with wanting a to be as physically fit as possible, and wanting to be able to out-perform many of my friends and team mates in sports such as football, baseball, softball, and track events too, ( ie. sprinting). I've always been a very althletic person and I am very convinced that weight trained athletes usually make the best athletes, and AAS's just take that a step further. But another reason was/is wanting to look good and to be strong and and well equipped as possible for physically demanding tasks at my work place as well as at home.
3. I'm afraid that I cannot be of much help to you on this one because it was so long ago that I began reading books and articles on AAS's that I cannot remember many of the sources. I remember one book being written by a doctor who claimed to have "hundreds" of steroid patients who were BBers and some being amatuer and professional athletes. But this book was written in the mid 80's when it was still legal for Physicians here in the USA to prescribe AAS's to their patients for the purpose for athletic performance enhancement (pre-1986). I believe his name was Bill Kerr. There was also another doc who's book on AAS's I read, but I forget his name. these books spoke of suggested dosages, AAS cycle durations and encouraged the use of blood work during the cycle.
4. This is a tough question for me to answer...hmmm....."proven negative side effects"?? Well through study and research I learned well before I ever touched any AAS's that most of the unwanted side effects can be avoided with either prudent and realistic dosages and cycle durations, and/or counter acting drugs, (such as "Anti-E" drugs like Nolvadex, Raloxiphene, etc, etc). I've met and spoke with numerous guys who didn't know anything about gear and just began using them without a clue as to what they were messing with. (BTW those "anti-E" or anti-Estrogen drugs I made mention of are only applicable to male BBers using AAS's. They're of no use nor are they needed by female BBers who choose to use AAS's).
I hope I've helped you in some way by answering these questions you've posted. Allow me to make mention of one more thing in case you aren't already aware of them: THE 7 MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS FROM AAS USE.....
A. Virilizing effects, (such as Male pattern baldness, deepening of voice pitch, increased facial hair and/or body hair, facial and body acne, increased aggression). Some of these aren't of concern when/if men experience them, but obviously would be when/if women would.
B. Increase in blood pressure, (some types of gear have a greater potential to cause this than others. Among the types which are more prone to cause this are Anadrol, & Dianabol). 10mg per day of Cialis is used by some male BBers to lower BP when gear use causes it to be elevated, but I'm not really sure how Cialis can effect women.
C. Liver damage. Most of the time the damage is reversable but it can be permanent, even in some causes to a point of life threatening. This is why blood work during an AAS cycle is so important, (and my hat is off to the veterans of this board for boldly making me realize that I should no longer overlook this fact as I once did). In general oral steroids tend to be more stressful to the liver than many injectable forms, however that doesn't mean you get a free pass with injectables either. There are items to use which to a certain extent can prevent or at least lessen the stress caused to the liver, (such as LIV-52 pills, NAC pills, and Milk Thistle pills).
D. Kidney damage. Here again, blood work is important for early detection.
E. This one is BIG for male BBers, but obviously not a concern for female BBers...Gynacomastia, (AKA "Bitch Tits") nipple growth caused by excessive aromatization that the male body does which actually converts some of the ingested Androgens (the AAS's) into female hormone in an effort to normalize the unnaturally high androgen levels in the blood. This aromatization process also can cause bloating, and contribute to elevated blood pressure. As i stated earlier, we have Anti-E's such as Nolvadex and Raloxifene to prevent breast tissue growth around the nipple areas, but also Aromatise Inhibitors such as Aromasin, Letrozole, and Arimidex. But as I also previously stated, none of this is of interest to the female BBers using AAS's.
F. Cholesterol elevation. (blood work blood work!!).
G. Erectile dysfunction for the male BBer, and possible increased sexual desire for the female BBer. Male BBers usually can avoid this by including Testosterone injections during the gear cycle and using HCG and then Clomid for the inital month after the gear cycle is ended.
The list above is not the only possible side effects from AAS use. Just the most common ones. Not everyone experiences all of them, nor even most of them. Like I've mentioned earlier, everyone's body reacts differently to AAS use. But just about everyone will experience at least one or two of the side effects listed above to one degree or the other. there is always a risk factor associated with AAS use for both female and male alike.
I also will add that as far as Growth Hormone use goes, some people experience joint pain, which can be mild, or severe. I was one of those who experienced severe joint pain to the point where it hindered my workouts quite a bit, so I had to halt the GH use. I was taking 4 IU's daily, so perhaps if stayed with 2 IU's per day or EOD that might not have happened. For me personally, I wouldn't want to mess with Thyroid hormones (AKA "T3" or "T4") and if I ever did, it wouldn't be for more than 2 weeks at a time with a long break afterwards. I wouldn't want to mess up my Thyroid output. It's not worth the risk IMO.
I want to get off of that and just be as healthy as I can be. And I want to firm up and see some definition on this old bod again!
And honestly, 5'6 and 130 ???? you don't need to lose weight, maybe just build some muscle. I'm 5'6 and am 30lbs heavier than you 
