Female Ostarine Cycle! (with blood-work)

[JaniceClaire]

I did a 6 week cycle of Osta Rx dosing ostarine for the first 5 weeks at 2caps(13mg)/day and the last week at 1 cap(6.5mg)/day. There was a very noticeable amount of muscle mass and definition increase with a drop in body fat, more abdominal separation, increased vascularity, strength. Libido was normal to increased, and didn't experience any negative sides

I had bloods taken in week 4, and 2 weeks after coming off. Unfortunately I didn't have androgen levels done pre-cycle as I didn't expect it to directly affect my androgens let alone to the extent it did..

Also it should be noted that just before my cycle I also found out I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which can result in elevated androgen values and I had experienced continuous spotting(and by that I don't mean helping a gym-bro out) for 2 months prior to the cycle, on starting Osta Rx the bleeding stopped, and started again after 1 week off it. (I have an Implanon, which prior to the 2 months of bleeding, I hadn't bled for almost 4 years and 2 different implants)

Comparison of the results are as below

	4 weeks in	2 weeks off
Total testosterone (0.3-1.7)	3.9*	1.4
SHBG (32-128)	8*	29*
Free androgen Index (0.3-3.9)	49*	5*
Free Test (3-24)	127.7*	27.1*
Androstenedione (1.0-11.5)		14.1
Estradiol	67

(Estradiol - anywhere between 46-1800 depending on stage of cycle)

As you can see, while on cycle almost all of my testosterone was free with huge androgen values, female hormone values were consistent before and during with only the estradiol changing (dropped by 100points), and because I had attributed the testosterone levels to PCOS and hadn't anticipated estrogen rebound (estrogen levels can vary a huge amount throughout menstrual cycles regardless) my post-cycle blood work does not include estrogen levels.

My understanding is that females do not have testosterone shut-down (please correct me if I am wrong) which is why oestrogen rebound is of more concern that test production post-cycle, which is why I am attributing the drop as a decrease in orally taken testosterone (meaning my natural testosterone levels would be much closer to the test I had post-cycle)

After the cycle although I didn't have tests for it specifically, I am fairly certain I had oestrogen rebound, the water retention that is associated with oestrogen followed(more water weight than I usually carry) and I got the condition I like to call "girl-brain" (when we are overly irrational and emotional). I ended up taking Rehab and Expel for 5 days a just after my post- blood tests, which worked for water weight & bloat (I think the girl-brain dissipated a bit as well)

I am aware that the information I have given is incomplete and would have been much better if I had've had androgens measured pre-cycle. I will have them done again when off to better gauge my natural/stable test level. I also know that this isn't straight up ostarine and there are herbal components of the supplement however I am extremely sceptical of a 5fold difference in androgens being attributed to herbal extracts when they largely work through LH and FSH pathways (which would theoretically for a female increase oestrogen while on)


So I have some questions if anyone is able to help, would be great to hear back from chemists/Pat Arnold/endocrinologists/IML/anyone who knows what they're talking about or have had experience with it or other anabolic compounds! Please


With female hormone products (i.e. the pill and implanon) my understanding was that although etonogestrel is a synthetic version of progesterone, it would still show up as progesterone in blood tests (again, correct me if I am wrong), in regards to thinking along those lines, would a SARM, even if its receptor sites are specific potentially show up as a hormone in a standard test. (Obviously there are ways to test for SARMS specifically, but it is more a question for general purposes if it will mimic it on a blood test). Assuming this is the case and my testosterone production wasn't right up there!

Ostarine's binding capabilities are supposed to be specific to androgen receptors in muscles(however, have read some logs with guys test production being suppressed significantly during) so why do my androgen values show so high?….

Could any of the herbal extracts been what effected my cessation of menstrual bleeding? Or does any one have suggestions of any to stop spotting?(I am now currently trying NAC - it's supposed to help with PCOS)

Ladies who have done actual cycles of steroids what have you run them with or for PCT, aromatase inhibitor post cycle I assume would be a given, but what other supplements (i.e. liver support during regardless if it's methylated or not?) dosing? - I am asking because I intend to do Ostarine again, however this time I intend on treating it as a steroidal compound


Thanks!! Also more than happy to answer anyone else's questions regarding my experience with it

 

[Mystere3]

I'm far from an expert in use of androgens in females but my first thought would be that the decrease in shbg typically caused as a result of negative feedback is going to boost your free estrogen (as well as free test). That being said, you'd expect that with your higher shbg 2 weeks out, your free estradiol would be lower but the cycle effects would be bigger.

The strange part is the free test. You'd expect it from the low shbg to a certain degree, but not that much? Yes it might be elevated in pcos but why would it be lower later? I'm not sure how to reconcile that.

As far as stopping spotting, I'm not sure. You may consider metformin though.

 

[JaniceClaire]

Thanks Mystere3, yeah the free test results definitely stumped me, a huge percentage of my testosterone was unbound, and normally SHBG decreases with an increase in androgens and increases with estrogen... so with PCOS you'd expect me to have a lower than normal level of SHBG and as such higher levels of free testosterone, but like you said, it shouldn't be that much, my doctor was amazed that such a huge percentage of my testosterone was free.

My total test was more than twice the value on as when I was off (which somewhat explains the different values of SHBG) but I've seen some logs (males) who's testosterone had dropped while on, which confused me because all my values were huge while on! and if it is because of PCOS - I don't understand why they dropped so significantly while off - so instead more likely to be osta causing the super high test and the estrogen rebound that followed?? (like I said no bloods but I definitely had increased estrogen when off). But I didn't have any negative sides that a female might have with high testosterone, no abnormal hair growth, voice deepening, I just didn't anticipate an estrogen rebound from ostarine, guess that's what you get when there aren't any female ostarine logs out there to go off!

For the spotting I am now trying N-acetyl cysteine to help with, in studies of PCOS it has had very similar outcomes to treatment with Metformin

 

[Mystere3]

Well metformin treats the root cause of pcos, decreased insulin sensitivity, so would be a better choice. Nac might be helpful for symptomatic relief, but doesn't really help alleviate the other effects.

 

[JaniceClaire]

Yes, I know, however I wanted to try NAC first. For the most part treatment is generally aimed at the relief of symptoms(I don't have any bad symptoms like abnormal hair growth etc), many women with PCOS are obese and as such go on medications and diets to reduce insulin and increase sensitivity which will help reduce their androgen production. My insulin levels and tolerance is normal and as high androgens are obviously an advantage for a female bodybuilder I don't actually want to go on medication to reduce them at this point in time, metformin will be a drug I use when I eventually want to get pregnant, along with clomifene citrate, however I am 22 and definitely not wanting to be pregnant any time soon - so for the moment high androgens are an advantage.


I'm more interested in how my androgens and SHBG are so high! Especially because there isn't any other females blood work for it to compare to..
..and since the logs I've read of males who have had blood work during showing a significant drop of test during, are mine so high because females don't experience suppressed test production?

 

[Mystere3]

Metformin is actually a great drug for bodybuilders; it's like a super powerful version of slinsane etc. it'll cause increased hypertrophy and fat loss. Your increased androgens are only 1/3 of the levels of what a male would start TRT at, you aren't going to build muscle from them, you'd be better off taking more ostarine or anavar.

 

[JaniceClaire]

Metformin just became so much more appealing. I've had slinsane, actually started on it before I knew I had PCOS and then again once I found out because if it was insulin sensitivity induced a nutrient partitioner wouldn't hurt. I will do some more reading from bodybuilding perspective about metformin, makes perfect sense though. Any idea though about long term use? Mostly meaning when I come off metformin would my metabolism be as efficient as it was before using it? I haven't read anything as such, but I haven't yet gone out of my way to research journals about metformin long term use, so thought it worth asking!

My results on ostarine were solid so definitely will be doing it again! And yes, not yet but I will probably try anavar eventually too.

 

[Mystere3]

It shouldn't affect your metabolism long term, just increases insulin sensitivity when on it. It's a pretty well studied medicine. I think 500 mg is a good dose for you.

 

[Magdalena]

Hey girl , thanx for the input on ostarine..
Sounds like something I'd b interested in researching n trying my self...
Anavar worked great for me...
I had amazing results....

 

[Mystere3]

Yeah I think osta is the best agent for females, to be honest.

25 mg of osta would give crazy gains with no sides.

 

[JaniceClaire]

Yeah Ostarine has been awesome for me, without trying it worked really well to recomp, (diet didn't change, hit the weights harder but that was largely thanks to the increased strength and muscular endurance)

I'll probably try anavar eventually, but for the moment I'll stick with Osta and will probably up the dose next cycle since I didn't have any sides, probably just to 19.5mg to start with