Oral androstenedione administration and serum testosterone concentrations in young men.

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Abstract
Androstenedione is a steroid hormone produced in the gonads and adrenal glands of both sexes. It is synthesized from dehydroepiandrosterone and then converted to testosterone by the enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase or to estrone by the aromatase enzyme complex.1-3 It is currently available without a prescription and marketed primarily to athletes and bodybuilders. The number of people regularly using androstenedione is not known. It has been estimated that 4.9% of male and 2.4% of female adolescents in the United States have used illegal androgenic/anabolic steroids.4 Because androstenedione is readily available as a dietary supplement, its use may be even greater.