Does Anavar Increase Testosterone? Here’s the Science

Oxandrolone, commonly known as Anavar, has been used by gym rats and bodybuilders for many years now. It’s commonly championed as the “safest steroid on the market”. Temporarily ignoring whether or not it’s hazardous, there is one common claim that many would like to look into: does Anavar increase testosterone levels?

It’s definitely not a silly question to ask, especially since both testosterone and Anavar significantly boost your workout performance (Anavar more so for obvious reasons). So you would think that Anavar helps with boosting that vital male hormone, right?

Well, no.

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It just doesn’t increase your testosterone. In fact, it can have the opposite effect on your body.

So, now, you have the short answer to the question: does Anavar increase testosterone, but if Anavar doesn’t increase testosterone, what exactly does it do? And what damaging effects can it have on one’s body? Well, let’s talk about just what Anavar is, the misconception behind what it does to the human body, what the science says, and even a study to greatly help us understand how it can actually harm our testosterone levels.

 

What is Anavar?

Most bodybuilders know Anavar as the pills you take to grealy buff up your workout routine. Its cycle is easy to learn and people have a general idea of its effects and how much is too much to take. You can find Anavar cycles and dosage for men here.

However, the medicine itself is a little more complex than that.

Going under the official name of Oxandrolone, Anavar is an androgen and anabolic steroid medication commonly used to promote weight gain. It also assists in supporting recovery from severe burns and treating bone pain.

It does have side effects, of course, including the following:

• Upping libido
• Infertility in women
• Grown of facial hair in women
• Testicular shrinkage
• Reduction of fertility in men
• Oily skin and acne
• Hair loss
• Nausea/vomiting
• Headaches

Despite these effects, it’s commonly referred to as the “safest steroid on the market”. After all, there’s no real evidence that it causes gynecomastia (development of man breasts), nor does it cause any lethal side effects, such as liver damage or the increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

If you’re someone who wants to keep your testosterone levels steady, however, that may not be so easy.

Anavar is considered a controlled substance in some countries, and that includes the United States. It technically is legal, but you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a doctor willing to prescribe it for bodybuilding purposes. Most find it through unofficial channels.

I always suggest to try out a legal steroid first, before committing to something like anavar, the equivalent legal steroid in this case will be Anvarol, you can read our anvarol review here. Also checkout the difference between anvarol and anavar.

 

Anavar and Testosterone: The Science

John T. Ousley, a licensed endocrinologist, explains that Anavar has a “pronounced suppressive effect” on one’s natural testosterone production. Anavar puts into us something known as “exogenous testosterone”, which signals to our bodies that it doesn’t need to make as much testosterone as it normally does. This causes the body to greatly reduce, or even cease testosterone production entirely.

Suppression of testosterone is also dependent on the dosage. The higher the dosage, the less testosterone you’ll be able to produce. For that reason you need to be careful about the dosage of anavar, again read our article on that topic here.

Because of this, stopping Anavar will lead to substantial recovery time, meaning your body will have to take its time to come back to its original levels of testosterone production. Think of it like the effects of withdrawal. It takes a bit of time for your body to adjust to the sudden absence of an external supply of testosterone and make up for the deficit.

This often requires post-cycle therapy (PCT) in order to speed up the recovery process. There are even cases where hormone replacement therapy is necessary in order to get the testosterone you need back into your body in cases of long-term suppression. You may have heard cases of people who take steroids no longer being able to produce testosterone at all, thus needing to be on the artificial compound for the rest of their lives. And is the main reason to try other types of supplements first before embarking on the journey of steroid usage, the first thing you can consider is legal steroids of course.

Ousley concluded by saying that the degree of testosterone suppression varies among individuals. We already covered the importance of dosages, but you should also be aware of the effects of duration of Anavar usage, and even how genetics plays a role in everything. He made sure to advise people who use Anavar to seek guidance and monitoring from a medical professional to minimize testosterone suppression, though given Anavar is a controlled substance, that may not be easy.

You can also find men discussing their own experiences with Anavar and testosterone. Many will testify that their testosterone levels do indeed crash, though it varies from person to person and dosage to dosage.

You also have to consider the possibility of testicular atrophy, which has been observed in the past. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. The shrinkage of one’s testicals isn’t very common, but it does happen, and that can absolutely have a negative effect on how much testosterone you produce, given the hormone is usually produced from that area, and in this particular case, you can certainly understand why the question of whether or not anavar increases testosterone levels becomes obsolete.

 

What Does The Science Say? Does Anavar Increase Testosterone?

A study published in the Annals of Surgery called The Effect of Oxandrolone on the Endocrinologic, Inflammatory, and Hypermetabolic Responses During the Acute Phase Postburn. It essentially sought to detail the true blue effects Oxandrolone, or Anavar, on the human body.

The study was mainly focused on just general effects instead of testosterone, but it does discuss it. The study can be pretty hard to decipher if you’re not on the scientifically knowledgeable side, but they do acknowledge the sex hormone. Unexpectedly, they noted a significant increase in testosterone, something they had hypothesized against originally. The exact mechanisms on how the body reacted in such a way is left unknown, but they suspect the drug did indeed have an effect.

Despite this, most anecdotes you’ll hear is that people’s testosterone tends to go down after usage. Why it’s different here is anyone’s guess.

Another concern is an increase in liver enzymes, but there isn’t much on it to properly discuss any major effects. It’s not related to testosterone, but it’s a good thing to bring up nonetheless.

 

Final Thoughts

Anavar may be “safer” than most steroids you can find, but “safer” doesn’t mean “safe”. There are still side effects you need to be wary of, and that includes a decrease in testosterone.

You may be asking whether or not it’s worth it, but that’s honestly up for you to decide if you ever decide to pick some up.

If you do decide to start using Anavar, I suggest being aware of how much you’re taking and how long your cycle will be. Take into consideration how tolerant your body is to steroids in general. If Anavar is your first go around with steroids, there’s a good chance that a high dose of Anavar might have some stronger side effects due to it being so new to your body.

Also, be mindful of options you can take to keep your testosterone levels high after ending a cycle, such as exercise. Check in with a doctor when it comes to measuring your hormone levels.

Finally, make sure to always warm up before workouts and stay hydrated.

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