What are the side effects of dietary supplements containing androstenedione?
Potential long-term adverse health consequences in men include testicular atrophy, impotence, and the development of female characteristics such as breast enlargement. Women who use these products may develop male characteristics such as male pattern baldness, deepening of the voice, increased facial hair, and enlargement of the clitoris, as well as abnormal menstrual cycle and abnormal bleeding, and blood clots. Women may also be at increased risk for breast cancer and endometrial cancer. Children and adolescents are at risk for androgenic and estrogenic effects as in adults, for early onset of puberty, and for premature cessation of growth, such that they will be short as adults. Q: How did FDA learn about these firms? A: FDA learned of the firms that are receiving warning letters by monitoring the dietary supplement industry. FDA focused on these selected firms because the agency determined that these firms were actively manufacturing, marketing, and/or distributing androstenedione
