Aromatization and holding water from anabolic steroids. Why the unsightly bloat occurs in the face, neck, and body and how to avoid it.

Aromatization is the process by which the body converts anabolic steroids into estrogen. We all know this but what isn't so obvious is the reason why and why, it is so important to understand. The human body loves balance. The term homeostasis represents the body's love of static systems within the body. It likes to keep everything: muscle mass, fat levels, hormones, neurotransmitters, overall bodyweight, in a narrow range. There are many systems of checks and balances in the body. If one fails, there is usually another one which can pick up the slack.
In the case of aromatization, the body converts some of the exogenous (injected or swallowed, hormone from an outside source) into estrogen to try and keep a balance between male and female hormone in the body. Even male bodies have natural amounts of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. What they don't have natural amounts of is hundreds and in some cases thousands of milligrams of testosterone floating around. The average male who does not have horse nuts produces about 7mg per day. That is Just under (49) fifty milligrams per week. The weakest injectable testosterone you can find is fifty, and nobody uses it because it's too weak. So what do you think happens when we dump five hundred milligrams of test into our bodies...yup, estrogen goes up. It has to, the body likes balance and narrow ranges, remember?

What to do about this excess estrogen? Well, the thing of it is, if esrogen goes up yet stays in proportion to the increased testosterone, we don't have to worry too much. If for some reason, your genetics like to produce an enzyme called aromatase, you might be screwed if you haven't already read what I am about to tell you. Aromatase is an enzyme that has converting test into estrogen as its primary function. The more aromatase you have in your body, the more test to estrogen conversion you will have as well. How do you know if you genetically have high aromatase levels? You don't. You can't. Not until its a little late anyway. If you are a seasoned juicer which most of you reading this probably are, you already know if you tend to get sore in and around the nipple when on a cycle of roids. If you are like some of my buddies though, and only take the drugs I call "pretty boy drugs" such as winstol, deca, primo, anavar, etc...you may not yet know if you are susceptible. The reason these drugs are known as fat-loss anabolics is simply due to the fact that they have little to no aromatizing qualities, even in the presence of large amounts of aromatase. One of my buddies was fine with the five or six cycles of winnie combos he had done...until he decided to take some dianabol for some stronger gains. He developed instant soreness in both nips-damn that sucks! Good thing he knew someone who knew what they were doing to bail his ass out!!

The drugs most commonly affiliated with gynocomastia (bitch tits) are in no specific order: dianabol (both liquid and pill), anadrol, all testosterone esters (yes, even prop), test suspension, and sometimes even deca! Damn man!! That pretty much names all the heavy hitters. Read on my friends, there are plenty of ways to get around most if not all cases of susceptibility to gyno (if only the Rock new this, he may not have ever had to wear those ridiculous band-aids on his nips).

Okay, so the most important thing concerning water retention is aromatization of testosterone into estrogen. The ratio of testosterone to estrogen is what determines how severe your chances are for developing serious estrogenic affects such as gyno. So what do you do if you are one of the unlucky few who are susceptible to gyno? What if you just want to use strong drugs but don't want the water? What if you are prone to "potato" head syndrome and seem to bloat up no matter what? Your answer lies in proper use and understanding of anti-estrogen and anti-aromatase drugs.