This one is far from clear cut, all I'm providing with this thread is some information for you to go off and experiment with the amount of AI / aromatase inhibitor you require on cycle, I will also loosely cover SERM's or selective estrogen receptor modulators for use in gynecomastia prevention
Ok so what are aromatase inhibitors and why do we need them?
"Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer and ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women and gynecomastia in men. They may also be used off-label to reduce increase of estrogen conversion during cycle with external testosterone. They may also be used for chemoprevention in high risk women.
Aromatase is the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen. As breast and ovarian cancers require estrogen to grow, AIs are taken to either block the production of estrogen or block the action of estrogen on receptors."
a healthy male between the ages of 20-30 will produce on average 7mg of testosterone per day or 50mg per week
there is obviously variation to this figure for a whole host of reasons such as genetics, drug or alcohol use, certain diseases and conditions, stress... the list goes on, but on average most males will produce somewhere around the above figure
now at this amount of testosterone a certain percentage aromatizes into oestrogen (ive heard the figure 10% but i've found no exact data)
"Aromatization is a process that occurs naturally in the body to convert testosterone into estrogen. The reason for the name is because the enzyme aromatase performs the conversion. "
the balance between T / E is called homoeostasis and the body is tuned in a manner that in healthy males just the right amount of each is present, so what happens when we decide we want 10x the amount of testosterone our body produces naturally? the body fights to maintain that T / E ratio and as a result oestrogen shoots right up outside of the healthy range along with the exogenous testosterone (the body has no mechanism to decipher the difference between endogenous and exogenous so reacts accordingly as if it were your body producing that amount)
so we implement an aromatase inhibitor in order to keep the E2 within healthy range even whilst testosterone is at supra physiological levels
there is a whole host of side effects that elevated E2 can bring in males:
1. Gynecomastia/Male breast growth
The growth of male breasts is called gynecomastia. When estrogen is present in high levels in men, the cells in breasts change their behavior. They begin to grow and this leads to the breasts becoming larger and more firm instead of the distinct pectoral fat deposits most men have. This condition can occur in around half of boys in puberty, but if it continues into adulthood, there may be an underlying reason.
2. Low sex drive
Men who have high levels of estrogen may have a problem known as erectile dysfunction. This means he is unable to maintain an erection. Any man who is experiencing sexual problems should talk to his doctor about a possible hormone imbalance.
3. Infertility
A man's fertility is determined by the number of sperm he has, the movement of the sperm and whether they can survive long enough to reach and fertilize an egg. Men who are exposed to high levels of estrogen have a higher rate of infertility than men who are not. This is because estrogen lowers the sperm's mobility.
4. Stroke risk
Because excess estrogen may cause blood clots, if a man has too much estrogen in his system, he may be at a higher risk of having a stroke.
5. Heart attack
The bodies of older men produce less testosterone. This causes a hormonal imbalance with estrogen becoming more dominant. An imbalance like this is often overlooked as a possible cause of cardio disease.
6. Prostate problems
High levels of estrogen in men can cause differing results. Some studies show that excess estrogen may cause prostate cancer, but once the cancer occurs, the estrogen may have some anticancer effects.
7. Weight gain
High estrogen levels in men can cause weight gain and that weight gain may cause higher levels of estrogen. It is a cycle that is not easily broken.
so since we are looking for the benefits of raised testosterone whilst avoiding the negatives of raised oestrogen we use an aromatase inhibitor, so what are the most commonly used (3rd generation) aromatase inhibitors and what are the therapeutic doses?
Table 1
Efficacy of aromatase suppression by three generations of AIs
Ok so what are aromatase inhibitors and why do we need them?
"Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer and ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women and gynecomastia in men. They may also be used off-label to reduce increase of estrogen conversion during cycle with external testosterone. They may also be used for chemoprevention in high risk women.
Aromatase is the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen. As breast and ovarian cancers require estrogen to grow, AIs are taken to either block the production of estrogen or block the action of estrogen on receptors."
a healthy male between the ages of 20-30 will produce on average 7mg of testosterone per day or 50mg per week
there is obviously variation to this figure for a whole host of reasons such as genetics, drug or alcohol use, certain diseases and conditions, stress... the list goes on, but on average most males will produce somewhere around the above figure
now at this amount of testosterone a certain percentage aromatizes into oestrogen (ive heard the figure 10% but i've found no exact data)
"Aromatization is a process that occurs naturally in the body to convert testosterone into estrogen. The reason for the name is because the enzyme aromatase performs the conversion. "
the balance between T / E is called homoeostasis and the body is tuned in a manner that in healthy males just the right amount of each is present, so what happens when we decide we want 10x the amount of testosterone our body produces naturally? the body fights to maintain that T / E ratio and as a result oestrogen shoots right up outside of the healthy range along with the exogenous testosterone (the body has no mechanism to decipher the difference between endogenous and exogenous so reacts accordingly as if it were your body producing that amount)
so we implement an aromatase inhibitor in order to keep the E2 within healthy range even whilst testosterone is at supra physiological levels
there is a whole host of side effects that elevated E2 can bring in males:
1. Gynecomastia/Male breast growth
The growth of male breasts is called gynecomastia. When estrogen is present in high levels in men, the cells in breasts change their behavior. They begin to grow and this leads to the breasts becoming larger and more firm instead of the distinct pectoral fat deposits most men have. This condition can occur in around half of boys in puberty, but if it continues into adulthood, there may be an underlying reason.
2. Low sex drive
Men who have high levels of estrogen may have a problem known as erectile dysfunction. This means he is unable to maintain an erection. Any man who is experiencing sexual problems should talk to his doctor about a possible hormone imbalance.
3. Infertility
A man's fertility is determined by the number of sperm he has, the movement of the sperm and whether they can survive long enough to reach and fertilize an egg. Men who are exposed to high levels of estrogen have a higher rate of infertility than men who are not. This is because estrogen lowers the sperm's mobility.
4. Stroke risk
Because excess estrogen may cause blood clots, if a man has too much estrogen in his system, he may be at a higher risk of having a stroke.
5. Heart attack
The bodies of older men produce less testosterone. This causes a hormonal imbalance with estrogen becoming more dominant. An imbalance like this is often overlooked as a possible cause of cardio disease.
6. Prostate problems
High levels of estrogen in men can cause differing results. Some studies show that excess estrogen may cause prostate cancer, but once the cancer occurs, the estrogen may have some anticancer effects.
7. Weight gain
High estrogen levels in men can cause weight gain and that weight gain may cause higher levels of estrogen. It is a cycle that is not easily broken.
so since we are looking for the benefits of raised testosterone whilst avoiding the negatives of raised oestrogen we use an aromatase inhibitor, so what are the most commonly used (3rd generation) aromatase inhibitors and what are the therapeutic doses?
PMC full text: | Int J Clin Pract. 2007 Dec; 61(12): 2051-2063. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01587.x Copyright/License ►Request permission to reuse |
Table 1
Efficacy of aromatase suppression by three generations of AIs
Drug | Dose | % Inhibition |
---|---|---|
First generation |