Andro, (Nor) Androstenedione, Androstenediol
- Such Mind-numbing Terms! (2003)
These are some of the most talked about prohormones.
Okay, you're probably wondering what the heck is all this Andro,
Androstene, Androstenedione, Androdiol stuff? I'm sure you've
probably heard about some of these terms, especially Andro, which
every time brings Mark McGuire to mind. :) In short, Andro is
a Prohormone that aids in testosterone production - it's a direct
hormone precursor of testosterone. We've prepared a series of
articles on prohormones with Andro, Androstenedione, and Androstenediol
explained in simple terms.
If the names of these prohormones aren't bad
enough, you get all these variations like 4-Androstenedione, 4-Androstenediol,
5-dione, 5-diol, 19-Nor-4, 19-Nor-5... Holy crap... Yeah, confusing
ain't it? I get a headache looking at these prohormones. Why couldn't
they just call these pro-hormones some easy to read and remember
names? Well, these pro-hormone names (and those numbers) have
to do with the chemical structure of the hormone. We'll try to
keep it simple and straight forward.
Different Categories Of Prohormones - The "Andro"
Family
Let's keep it simple. First, let's see
what's the difference between Androstenedione and Androstenediol.
In short, Androstenedione and Androstenediol
are the 2 only compounds that convert directly into testosterone,
which is why you'll hear that Andro is just one step away
from testosterone. You've probably heard of DHEA, but DHEA
converts directly into these 2 Andro compounds, and is therefore,
2 steps away from testosterone. Simple right?
Beyond these 2 basic Andro compounds, there
are these what you call 19-Norandrostenedione and 19-Norandrostenediol,
or in short, 19-Norandro. These 19-Norandro compounds convert
into Nortestosterone, which is a very anabolic (muscle building)
hormone.
The Difference Between Androstenedione and
19-Norandrostenedione
So, you want to know why Andro and 19-Norandro
are different? Actually, they're not that different, just differ
by a few atoms. ;-) Androstenedione is identical to testosterone,
except it's missing a hydrogen atom in the 17th position. When
Androstenedione is processed by the liver, a hydrogen is added
to complete the testosterone - now you see how it's 1 step away
from testosterone?
19-Norandro is missing the 17th hydrogen and
19th carbon atoms. When 19-Norandrostenedione is processed by
the liver, only a hydrogen atom is added to the 17th position,
no carbon atom is added to the 19th position. This creates the
Nortestosterone.
Sub-categories of Andro and 19-Norandro Substances
When you buy prohormones, you're going to see
all these variations of the Andro and 19-Norandro compounds. So
why the big fuss with these pro-hormones? Let's see what these
sub categories of Andro and 19-Norandro are.
In the "Andro family" there are 3
categories: 4-Androstenedione, 4-Androstenediol, and 5-Androstenediol,
or simply 4-dione, 4-diol, and 5-diol. Of these three, 4-Androstenedione
is the least expensive. In a lot of prohormones supplements, you'll
find that they use a combination of the -dione and -diol compounds.
Now, in the "19-Norandro family" there
are also 3 categories: 19-Nor-4-Androstenedione, 19-Nor-4-Androstenediol,
and 19-Nor-5-Androstenediol. You'll see them also referred
to as: 19-Nor-4-dione, 19-Nor-4-diol, and 19-Nor-5-diol.
If all the product selection is too overwhelming
for you, I recommend you read our Ergopharm
1 AD.
To learn more about prohormones, and more about
Andro -dion - diol -Norandro, read these following articles:
