# big.red's first var cycle



## big.red (Nov 2, 2014)

Hi all! I've been reading the female talk threads for a while now but have finally decided to post because I plan on starting my first var cycle and I'm a little unsure of what would be the best way to go about my first time using. A little background on me: used to have a really bad relationship with food a few years ago. Dropped down to 119lbs at 5'8" and was very much skinny fat. Got myself into the gym and start eating properly again. Had my first powerlifting meet last year at 148s (currently 145lbs now). I am looking to put on more muscle since I am really lacking from my terrible starting point. Would also like to get a higher total. Have a few questions since the people I know in real life that use are all men and only know about male usage. 


Was planning on running 10mg everyday for 6-8wks. I also was considering continuing to take my birth control pill. I'm on Lo Loestrin Fe which is a super low dose pill (1 mg norethindrone acetate and 10 mcg ethinyl estradiol). Just would like to know anyone's two cents on this. Should I continue taking BC? If yes or no, why or why not? My bf and I plan on using condoms just in case whether I stop taking it or continue. 


Anything else I should know about? Really trying to minimize any amount of virilization. Don't want to walk away from this with a hoarse, deepened voice and a jawline haha

Any input is greatly appreciated!


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## SheriV (Nov 3, 2014)

heres a good sticky to read that should answer some of your questions...

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/threads/136316-Women-and-Drugs


birth control pills are fine..im paranoid and always recommend a backup method even though there's no science behind it
10mg of oxandrolone at 6-8 weeks is pretty mild...its unlikely to cause serious or permanent sides...
for voice changes , sore throat is the first clue and where you would want to consider bailing out so that it does not become a permanent effect
10mg of var definitely wont change your jawline..but you may get a little bit of acne and its possible you get stray hair growth where you don't want it. it all boils down to you genetic predisposition of androgen receptors


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## big.red (Nov 3, 2014)

SheriV said:


> heres a good sticky to read that should answer some of your questions...
> 
> http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/threads/136316-Women-and-Drugs
> 
> ...



Thank you so much for your response! Taking it easy for my first time just to get my feet wet haha. Source is very good/trusted and I know its not mixed with anything weird that could cause really bad sides. 

I am currently getting ready to compete in another meet at the end of January. Coming off a cut from 2mons ago where I was around 17% at 138lbs (stomach was fairly lean though as I tend to carry my weight in my thighs and hips). Working on getting back to 150 to be more competitive in the 148lb weight class. Current diet is around 2000cals, 40/30/30 macros. Mostly clean foods but I will indulge a bit on the wknds. My goal is definitely strength based but would be nice to limit the amount of fat gain.


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## sassy69 (Nov 3, 2014)

I wouldn't worry about voice change or any of that. It's generally an issue w/ the longer acting esters and cumulative effect of repeated cycles over time. Var generally doesn't promote that stuff anyway.

RE: BC - since you're not talking physique competition, one of the main reasons competitors drop BC during a cycle is to also control water retention which matters more to physique competitors towards the end of comp prep. Since it doesn't matter for you, I'd keep on it. As Sheri mentioned, I've never seen anything that says steroids literally negate birth control - but rather they are two conflicting forces such that the physical effects of each are somewhat compromised - e.g birth control regulates estrogen but may promote estrogenic effects such as water retention and fat depositing more than naturally while steroids are promoting lean muscle mass promotion. In the big picture, this is not a critical issue for your goals, and as you said, you are using a very low dose BC which probably has minimal estrogenic effects anyway. Some women are on more aggressive BC like depo provera which tends to promote water like a bitch. Moderation in all hormone manipulation is generally the best.

The only variation I might offer on your goals of what essentially sounds like a lean bulk would be to do a carb cycle around your lifting schedule - put your higher carb days on the days you train heavier, lower on days you train light, just cardio or no training. To keep total calls constant for strength fueling, replace the calories you've cut from the carbs (E.g. on low carb days) with same cals in good quality fats (easy substitution is w/ extra virgin olive oil).


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## big.red (Nov 4, 2014)

Thank you so much for that information sassy! Never tried it but I'll give carb loading a go. Might be something that works out very well for me


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## sassy69 (Nov 6, 2014)

Good luck - you can google about carb cycling or carb rotation, or various forms of "lean bulking" for ideas.


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## big.red (Nov 9, 2014)

sassy69 said:


> Good luck - you can google about carb cycling or carb rotation, or various forms of "lean bulking" for ideas.



thanks sassy! think i'm going to stick with 1800 40/20/40 on my rest days (3x/wk) and 2100 40/40/20 on workout days (4x/wk) and adjust my cals from there. been carb cycling for almost a wk since i saw your last post and I like it a lot so far 

started my cycle yesterday. obviously nothing has really kicked in yet. from what i've read that usually happens around day 10-14. only thing i've really experienced so far is some light spotting


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## sassy69 (Nov 12, 2014)

The first month of anything that impacts your menstrual cycle can produce weird spotting. Normally after that first month, things sort of adjust themselves. I'd say the same is possible when you come off and it still takes 3 weeks for the compound to clear as well as hormone level flux during that month. Even an Ob/Gyn will tell you if you're adjusting your birth control pills, it can take up to 3 months for your cycle to find a "normal".


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## big.red (Nov 14, 2014)

That's what I've heard. Exactly what I experienced when I started to adjust to taking a lower dose BC pill. So far the spotting seemed to stop. Only really lasted a few days. Just have a pimple here and there but nothing to really complain about  

Super excited for it to kick in so I can increase my strength a little. Excited for my future progress


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## NewToThis6 (Sep 28, 2016)

Keep updated of your progress with Var. I would like to know how to find some real Var myself! Any advice?


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