Frauen und Anabolika – ein Tabuthema?

Ever since sports, and especially weight training, have existed, people have tried to artificially increase their performance by taking performance-enhancing substances in order to reach their goals faster. In bodybuilding in particular, it is no longer just the stars among hardcore bodybuilders who resort to anabolic steroids. More and more recreational athletes also swear by the shortcut from the syringe. Many still think that this is a purely male phenomenon, based among other things on a sense of status.

Estimates from Lübeck University Hospital, according to which around 22 percent of all male strength athletes use doping substances, seem to support this theory. As in so many areas of life, women have also caught up mightily in this statistic. According to this, it is already 8 percent who also resort to anabolic steroids or similar agents for muscle building and fat loss. But what makes women expose themselves to such a risk? And what risks are there for women in particular? We clarify!

What are anabolic steroids anyway?

Anabolic steroids are substances that have anabolic effects and stimulate tissue formation in the body. These are usually synthetically produced substances that resemble the male sex hormone testosterone in terms of their molecular structure. Even though the term has a very negative connotation today due to its misuse in the sports scene, anabolic steroids were originally developed for use in the medical field.

After the Swiss physician Ernst Latour succeeded in isolating testosterone from bull testicles for the first time in 1935, numerous preparations were developed from it. These were used, for example, to treat weakened soldiers or to improve the regeneration of people with debilitating diseases. So it wasn't long before these substances were also used to improve the performance of healthy people by increasing their testosterone intake.

Why do women turn to anabolic steroids?

This question seems justified; after all, testosterone is the male sex hormone. So why would synthetic testosterone and its derivatives make sense in women? The reason is obvious, because just as a certain amount of estrogen is produced in the male body, the female body also synthesizes testosterone. While the amount produced daily in the testes and adrenal cortex in men is around 5-10 mg, the female body produces a maximum of 1 mg per day.

Since the hormone is decisive for muscle building, this is the solution to the riddle of why women naturally have a harder time building muscle. The ratio of the high estrogen level compared to the low testosterone level is responsible, among other things, for the fact that women tend to have a higher body fat percentage. This provides at least one biochemical reason for turning to anabolic steroids of all kinds.

Compared to men, women who consume anabolic steroids have a relatively greater potential for muscle growth. After all, the natural testosterone content is immediately increased many times over. Given this fact, the temptation for women who want to have a muscular body is great. In principle, however, the psychological mechanisms are no different from those that go on in the minds of men. Here, too, a perfect body is the goal.

However, perfect does not only mean building muscle, but also lowering the body fat percentage. From a certain level it becomes extremely difficult for healthy women, because the estrogen puts a spoke in the wheel. So with the help of anabolic steroids, even better definition can be achieved.

3. also the social component must not be forgotten in this context. Especially in the bodybuilding scene, women have a hard time and are often ridiculed. Many female athletes who take or have taken anabolic steroids therefore often say that they want to be accepted among the men and belong.

4 A shifted perception of oneself and others also plays a role. Especially in the age of Instagram, women compare themselves even more intensively with other women. Many tend to perceive their own bodies as not good enough. Comments from other users reinforce this perception. A simple "have you put on weight" or "you look so thin" is often the trigger for reaching for pills and injections. Especially those who are under additional pressure as fitness models or competitive athletes are particularly susceptible in this regard.

Is the topic taboo in the fitness scene?

Of course, with many an athlete it is very obvious that the trained stature has not come about entirely naturally. This is not really different for female athletes than for men - it's just that nobody talks about it. Women who take anabolic steroids are actually something of a taboo on the scene. On the one hand, of course, that's because no one likes to peddle the fact that they're going beyond the law.

On the other hand, of course, no one wants to admit that the built-up muscles and the low body fat content were only achieved with the help of anabolic steroids. Moreover, those who have already reached the professional level are often bound to model or athlete contracts. These usually make coming out impossible until the end of the career. Even after the end of their careers, only a few female athletes admit to abusing anabolic steroids so as not to be seen as defilers of their own nests in the scene.

Physical consequences of anabolic steroid abuse

The list of physical side effects is long. No wonder, because the intervention in the hormone balance completely upsets many a metabolic process. Before we turn to the effects that anabolic steroid abuse has specifically on women, we will first look at the general damage caused by artificial hormones and the like. However, the following description contains only a small excerpt and is, of course, not complete:

Increasingly impure skin
Formation of acne including acne scars
Unnatural hypertrophy of the heart muscle
Impairment of blood clotting
Narrowing of the veins due to deposits on the vessel walls
Risk of cardiac arrhythmia
Possible formation of liver tumors when taken orally
Sustained disturbance of the lipid metabolism
Suffering from umbilical hernia
Increasing likelihood of thrombosis
Unnatural hair loss
Storage of water in the tissue
Altered thyroid function
Growth of cheekbones, nasal and ear cartilage

What effects do anabolic steroids have on a woman's body?

Since testosterone is a male hormone, excessive intake naturally has enormous consequences for the organism of women. Over time, masculinization occurs, the so-called androgenization. While in the initial stages it remains with increased hair loss, increased body and facial hair as well as acne, the symptoms become stronger in the course of virilization.

Virilization is the development of male sexual characteristics due to hormonal influences. These include a strong increase in muscle mass, a deeper voice and a strong enlargement of the clitoris. In parallel with virilization, so-called defeminization occurs, i.e. the regression of female sexual characteristics. This affects both the regression of the breasts and the uterus and the absence of menstruation.

The psyche also changes massively

Of course, the psyche is not left untouched by the additional hormone dose. What is also known as "roid rage" among male bodybuilders naturally also affects women. The former Swiss fitness model Anja Zeidler compares the extreme mood swings with the very special nature of pregnant women. She herself reports not only increasing aggression, but also strong changes in character. In the end, she had changed so much that her best friend did not recognize her.

The most famous "victims" of anabolic steroids

The reasons for doping with anabolic steroids are as varied as their effects. As the following two examples demonstrate, the damage caused by anabolic steroids is often irreversible. Candice Armstrong, now 28, consumed doping agents for years to further her bodybuilding career. However, the young woman is paying a high price. Wide cheekbones and a massive jaw have almost made her a man. As she revealed in an interview with London's DailyMail newspaper, she is subjected to daily insults like "tranny" or "faggot" on the street. But that's not all, because to make matters worse, she even grew a small penis due to the influence of hormones.

The former shot-putter Heidi Krieger actually became a man. However, she did not take steroids and anabolic steroids voluntarily, but was forced to do so by the state doping system of the GDR. As a result, she unconsciously developed into a man as early as her teenage years. What followed was, among other things, a severe psychological crisis due to problems with gender identity. Since gender reassignment surgery in 1997, Heidi Krieger has been living as a man under the name Andreas.

How to get off anabolic steroids

The previous descriptions should be reason enough for you not to start doping in the first place. No short-term glory in the world is worth ruining your body and possibly causing irreversible damage. A balanced diet, good recovery, hard training and the support of experienced coaches will lead to a better and healthier result in the long run.

However, those who are already in the mire have a tough road ahead of them. While the physical consequences are still comparatively easy to deal with, the psyche often causes bigger problems. Those who quit often start again shortly afterwards. The cause is the actual or perceived loss of muscle or the feeling of getting fat. The best way to get off the wagon, therefore, is for affected women not to make a secret of their problem and instead to take a doctor into their confidence, in addition to their family and closest friends. Only by making an emotional commitment to close relatives and friends is it possible to break away in the long term.