Why steroids cause gyno
The body turns some testosterone into oestrogen, using an enzyme found mostly in fat. Inject or take far more testosterone than normal and you make far more oestrogen. Some steroids act on the breast directly. Then, when the cycle stops, the testicles have been switched off and take weeks or months to restart, so for a while oestrogen has the field to itself. That's why many men notice the lump, the soreness or the puffy nipples after a cycle rather than during it.
SARMs, prohormones and "test boosters"
SARMs and prohormones are sold as safer than steroids. They still shut down your own testosterone, and gyno is reported with them too. Some products sold as supplements contain undeclared steroids. If a product promises steroid-like gains, assume it acts like one.
What happens if you keep going
Early gyno, in the first months, is active tissue, often sore and growing. If the cause stops, it can go down. With every cycle the tissue tends to grow, and after about a year it turns fibrous. Fibrous tissue doesn't shrink with time, diet or medicine. That's the point where surgery is the only thing that removes it.
Tamoxifen and other "gyno pills" from the gym
Tamoxifen is a prescription-only medicine in Ireland. Doctors sometimes use it for recent, painful gynaecomastia, under supervision, for a few months. Buying it from gym contacts or online means no dose check, no examination and no idea what's in the tablet. It also doesn't fix tissue that has already turned fibrous.
What to do now
- Stop the steroids or SARMs if you can. That removes the cause.
- See a GP. Tell them what you used, how much and when. It changes which bloods they order.
- Get your testosterone checked after stopping. Low testosterone after a cycle causes more than gyno: low mood, low sex drive, poor sleep.
- Give recent tissue three to six months after stopping before deciding on anything permanent.
- If it's still there a year on, with your weight steady and no more cycles planned, that's when a surgeon's opinion makes sense.
Surgery for steroid gyno
Steroid gyno is often pure gland on a lean chest, which surgery treats well. Surgeons will ask whether you plan to use steroids again, because new cycles can grow new tissue, even after an operation. If you're still cycling, most surgeons will tell you to wait. For the operation itself, see gynecomastia.ie.
Questions people ask
Will gyno go away after I come off?
Recent tissue often goes down over a few months once testosterone recovers. Tissue that has been there for a year or more usually stays.
Can I train through it?
Training is fine. It won't shrink gland, and building the chest muscle can make a disc look more obvious, not less.
Can I get surgery and keep cycling?
Most surgeons advise against it. New cycles can grow new tissue next to where the old tissue was removed.
Is gynecomastia from steroids permanent?
Not always at first. It becomes permanent once the tissue turns fibrous, usually after about a year.