Testosterone is probably best known for its role in men. As a natural anabolic it is responsible for optimizing fat loss, promoting muscle growth and regulating masculinity.
But in females it plays a much more diverse role.
While there’s always been a fear that elevated hormones might make you ‘manly’, testosterone is crucial for optimal health and performance.
But using testosterone as a supplement, from anabolic steroids for example, is a different story altogether. The side effects are both serious and long-lasting.
If you want to know more then read on. Here’s what’s covered in the article:
You might previously have thought that testosterone (T) was an exclusively male hormone.
After all, it’s the kind of hormone that brings to mind red-faced, overly-muscular bodybuilders screaming as they rack up their 10th rep of 400 lb bench presses. It’s often considered to be a hormone that makes you rippling with muscles, angry and assertive.
But it’s not just for men though. And there’s more to it than just negative effects.
T is a natural anabolic hormone. As a member of the androgen family, it is manufactured from lipids – in particular cholesterol.
While it’s produced in testes in men, in women it is made in your ovaries and adrenal glands.
Naturally, a woman has much lower concentrations of testosterone when compared to a man. While your male counterparts have 300-1,000 ng.dL of the good stuff running through their veins, you have as little as 15-70 ng.dL.
That’s almost 15 times lower.
Not only that, much like males, your T production begins to slow down as you age. From the age of 20-40 your hormone levels drop significantly – and by the age of 45, around 90% of women have clinically low T levels.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. If you want to perform at your best on the sports field or gym, T is an essential hormone.
That’s because in females, testosterone elevates levels of physical performance by increasing aerobic power, boosting lean mass, reducing body fat and optimizing cognitive functions [1].
Natural testosterone booster supplements for example are becoming increasingly popular for women. Optimizing testosterone helps you develop a more competitive edge by moderating assertiveness, motivation, drive and resilience too [2].
Making sure your T production is where it should be will benefit your fat to lean mass ratio by helping your burn excess fat cells and carving out some curves without the bulk.
Even boosting T levels slightly above the low value of 31 ng.dL has been shown to result in elevated lean mass [1].
Key Points:
Anabolic steroids are a type of drug taken to improve physical performance. They are synthetic substances made up of androgen hormones – essentially testosterone.
There are few different kinds of steroids, but they pretty much all work in the same way by boosting muscle size, strength and power. There is however a variation in the actual mechanisms behind how some of these synthetic drugs work.
Steroids don’t just bring your hormone levels to normal like test booster supplements, they surpass that. These drugs take your T levels to a super-physiological level.
The use of anabolic steroids is pretty commonplace in men. But it’s much less popular with women, even in professional sport [3].
While there are some benefits to physical performance as an ‘ergogenic aid‘, the potential side effects are something you need to be aware of. In fact, the adverse effects are so harsh on your body that “it seems redundant to mention that abuse of steroids may affect health status” [4].
Taking a testosterone drug as a woman can lead to various adverse reactions that are typically related to how long you take them for, and how much.
Women’s bodies are simply not equipped for steroids and testosterone-based drugs.
Some of the biggest side effects related to steroid abuse in women relate to the reproductive system. After all, steroids are derived from the ‘male’ hormone testosterone.
Side effects include the following virilization effects:
The reason why your period stops, your breast tissue atrophies, and your clitoris grows in size is that you’re losing your femininity. Putting a hormone in your body that boosts masculinity in males is guaranteed to have the same effect on you.
Slowly but surely you’ll become to show male traits.
Not only that.
If masculinity doesn’t bother you, maybe you should think about the potential long-term health issues that testosterone drugs can cause in a woman. Diseases such as atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, heart failure and kidney disease are all on the increase in steroid users – even women.
Some reports have even shown that testosterone drug use in a woman can increase the risk of sudden cardio death too [5].
Even a small dose of anabolic steroids can increase aggression – even in a woman [6].
You’ll quickly find that your temper is difficult to control and your competitiveness and assertiveness begin to cross the border into negativity.
There’s also a strong link between excessive testosterone use, depression and suicidal tendencies too. Steroids can become addictive and psychosis can occur in extreme cases.
Like we said at the start of this article, testosterone is an important hormone for women.
If you optimize your levels safely and naturally you’ll will find that you look and feel better. It’s much easier to develop an athletic figure with hormonal balance, and your progress is the gym is quicker and easier.
The problems start when you decide to put actual testosterone in your body.
Instead, natural products such as TestoFuel help you bridge the gap. They don’t contain testosterone so you’ll avoid the severe effects caused by drug use. Instead, they provide your body with the nutrients it needs to optimize testosterone levels itself – both safely and effectively.
As a premium testosterone-boosting supplement containing only natural vitamins and minerals, TestoFuel bridges the gap with no side effects. Get the best from your workouts without the risks.
And with over 20% of testosterone boosting supplements being purchased by women, now’s the time to create that figure to be proud of.