Anti-androgenic oral contraceptive bad for muscle building?

[Foxfire]

Hello all. I'm brand new to this wonderfully informative forum.

I was hoping to get some insight on a birth control pill that I'm on. It's called Diane-35 (available in Canada/Europe/Australia, but not the U.S.) and it contains an anti-androgenic progestin that is helpful for those prone to skin breakouts, as androgens are the primary cause of breakouts in both men and women.

Having recently started a weight training program, I'm a little concerned that I may have trouble building muscle because, as I understand it, androgens play a big role in helping women (and men) build muscle and the Pill I'm on is blocking the action of androgens throughout my body. I'd hate to think that I'm working my butt off to see very little gain.

Does anyone else think that blocking the actions of androgens in the body is a bad idea for anyone trying to build muscle?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[JJFigure]

Honestly, I quit using hormonal OCs when I found out progestin reduces the circulating levels of free testosterone. Have I made drastic gains in muscle since then? No, but I've also been lifting for a long time, so I didn't really expect to.

Keep in mind, I'm also a competitor and willing to just abstain when I'm getting ready for a contest. Stressing out over whether or not you may be pregnant would probably be more harmful to your muscle building endeavors (increased cortisol production) then a slight decrease in your free testosterone levels.

 

[Gymgurl]

Wish I could help you out.....I don't know the answer...sorry. I know that I have recently put on about 4 pounds from Ovcon 35 and it's really bugging me since I lift and do cardio all the time and are not seeing any results right now!!!! However, beats being pregnant!! Been there done that 3 times!

 

[Foxfire]

Thanks for the input, ladies!

I really wish I could go off OC's for good, but my hormones do all sorts of crazy things when off them. Let's just say that they help keep me balanced. And yes, knowing that I won't get pregnant is a huge bonus, too.

I'm thinking my best bet is to get off these androgen blocking OC's and switch to Marvelon (same as Desogen) or Ortho Tri-Cyclen. The latter two will decrease free testosterone to a certain point (as all oral contraceptives do), but at least they won't block free testosterone completely.