Concern over counterfeit steroid risks for female bodybuilders

A small Australian study has suggested that women bodybuilders who turn to anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) to boost their results are encountering counterfeit or falsified products that put their health at risk.

Use of AAS is criminalised in Australia, but changing ideals in body aesthetics and the growing popularity of sports such as powerlifting are pushing more women to try to source these products, according to a study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

Female users there have to turn to the 'underground' market for these products, which could put them at elevated risk of encountering a counterfeit as well as side effects. A well-recognised issue is that some illicit products contain testosterone, which can cause masculinising effects such as voice deepening, facial hair, acne and clitoral enlargement.

According to surveys of female users, women have a more difficult time sourcing AAS than men, who are more likely to know a "friend of a friend" who can supply it, and that scarcity could "contribute to the increased vulnerability of female AAS users to unreliable or unsafe products," according to the authors, led by Dr Tim Piatkowski of Griffith University in Brisbane.

There were also concerns about the quality and authenticity of specific AAS products, particularly Primobolan (methenolone) and Anavar (oxandrolone), with one respondent saying "a lot of the compound options out there for females or like the ideal compounds for females are really commonly faked."

With steroid use previously and typically seen as being a men's practise, the research highlighted the gender-specific obstacles women encountered in acquiring safe and reliable AAS and the urgent need for tailored harm-reduction interventions, according to the researchers.

"It's important to understand the motivations and health risks associated with this trend," said Piatkowski. "By focusing on women's experiences with anabolic steroids, we can begin to address the significant knowledge gap in sports medicine and develop more effective support and intervention strategies."

Global estimates indicated AAS were used by around 4 per cent of women, rising to almost 17 per cent among bodybuilders. In jurisdictions where use of AAS is legal around 60 per cent of women seek guidance or prescriptions from licensed medical practitioners, but as might be expected in Australia they generally conceal their usage from medical practitioners.

The researchers call for a 'steroid literacy' awareness campaign for female AAS users, and the creation of drug-checking services specifically designed for women which could verify the authenticity and safety of AAS and reduce the risks associated with counterfeits.

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash