Men seem to differ on DHT's importance to sexual function.
In my case, I was worried that Avodart was causing my muscle issues. At the moment the evidence suggests that high estrogen is the more likely culprit. Soon I should find out for sure.
I'm very interested in what you find out. As I understand it, DHT plays an important role in making the connection from the CNS to muscles and as such is a determining factor in how much strength one has or is able to develop.
http://www.anabolic-bible.org/ShowPage.aspx?callpage=DHT
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) plays an important role in the organization and functioning of the central nervous system. Many neural cells contain active androgen receptors, and it is thought that there may even be a specific importance of dihydrotestosterone in this area of the body. Studies have shown DHT to have a profoundly greater impact in these cells compared to testosterone. Animal models demonstrated that both testosterone and DHT would result in increased androgen receptor proliferation in neural cells three and seven hours after being administered, however only DHT was able to sustain this increase at the twenty-one hour mark.
The strong interaction between the central nervous system and skeletal muscles, collectively referred to as the neuromuscular system, is of key importance to the athlete. There appears little doubt that the ability of the body to adapt to training and its ability to activate nerve endings in muscle tissue are reliant on the interactions of the neuromuscular system. Inhibiting the formation of DHT during a testosterone cycle may therefore inadvertently interfere with strength and muscle mass gains. That’s why most people complain on the sudden drop in the steroid potency when a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor finasteride to a testosterone cycle.
http://www.mesomorphosis.com/articles/arnold/dht.htm
Anti – Estrogen effects of DHT
One important function of DHT in the body that does not get much discussion is its antagonism of estrogen. Some men that take Proscar learn this the hard way – by developing a case of gynecomastia. By reducing DHT’s protection against estrogen in the body, these men have fallen victim to its most dreaded ramification – bitch tits!
How does DHT protect against estrogen? There are at least three ways that this likely occurs.
First of all, DHT directly inhibits estrogens activity on tissues. It either does this by acting as a competitive antagonist to the estrogen receptor or by decreasing estrogen-induced RNA transcription at a point subsequent to estrogen receptor binding.
Second of all, DHT and its metabolites have been shown to directly block the production of estrogens from androgens by inhibiting the activity of the aromatase enzyme. The studies done in breast tissue showed that DHT, androsterone, and 5alpha-androstandione are potent inhibitors of the formation of estrone from androstenedione. 5alpha-androstandione was shown to be the most potent, while androsterone was the least.
Lastly, DHT acts on the hypothalamus / pituitary to decrease the secretion of gonadotropins. By decreasing the secretion of gonadotropins you decrease the production of the raw materials for estrogen production – testosterone and androstenedione (DHT itself cannot aromatize into estrogens). This property of DHT comes into particular utility when it is administered exogenously, and this is to be discussed in further detail in the next section.
