Anabolic Steroids Can Stunt Growth

Numerous anabolic steroids have the risk to impact an individual’s physique if used during the adolescent period. This is the main reason that teenagers are warned off of using anabolic steroids until the body has fully matured.

Steroids have the potential to stunt growth, this happens by the stimulation of the epiphysis plates in a person’s long bones causing them to fuse prematurely. Once these plates have fused, future linear growth is not possible. This kind of damage is irreversible and the individual can be stuck at the same height forever.

It is thought that this irreversible damage is brought on, not by the steroid itself, but by the buildup of estrogen caused by steroid use. Women are shorter than men on average because of the estrogen effect, and so the increase in estrogen due to steroid use seems to be the underlying cause.

It is also for this reason that steroid with a high conversion to estrogen can prematurely stunt growth. Some steroids can actually increase linear growth as there is no conversion to estrogen and the anabolic activity brought on by the steroid can promote the retention of calcium in the bones.

It is therefore common sense to avoid steroid use during adolescence until full maturity has been reached. Or Alternatively, a legal steroid like Pro Anabolic can deliver similar results to steroids, without negatively impacting one’s height.