Crucial Blood Tests You Need Before and During a Steroid or Testosterone Cycle

Using steroids or testosterone can help build muscle and improve your strength. But without proper health checks, it can also harm your body. One of the most important things to do before, during, and after a steroid cycle is getting blood tests. These tests help you understand what’s going on inside your body and keep you safe.

Here’s a simple and complete guide to the most important blood tests you need to know about.

Why Blood Tests Matter Before a Cycle?

Before starting any steroid or testosterone cycle, your body should be ready for it. Think of it like a fighter jet getting checked before a mission. If anything is wrong, you’ll know early and can avoid serious problems later.

Many doctors don’t have much experience with steroids. Some may not understand your goals or might even judge you. That’s why many guys learn about blood work themselves or get help from an experienced coach.

When you walk into a clinic, you should be ready to ask for the right tests. It saves time and helps avoid useless advice.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

This test checks your white and red blood cells.

• White blood cells help fight off infections.
• Red blood cells carry oxygen through your body
• Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that helps move oxygen.
• Hematocrit tells you how many red blood cells are in your blood.

Steroids and testosterone increase your hematocrit. If it goes too high, you might get headaches, high blood pressure, or heart problems.

If your hematocrit is over 53%, it’s time to give blood. Do this every 4 months if you’re cycling.

To bring it down naturally:

• Drink lots of water (10–12 glasses a day)
• Avoid alcohol and iron supplements
• Eat more bran and grapefruit
• Add spinach, carrots, strawberries, and potatoes to your diet

Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP)

This test checks your liver and kidney health. It also looks at your body’s chemical balance.

You need to fast before this test. The lab checks about 14 different things like:

• Sodium and potassium levels
• Liver enzymes (ALT and AST)

If your ALT or AST are a bit high, don’t worry too much. This can happen when you train hard. Only worry if the numbers are 3 to 4 times higher than normal.

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

This test checks if your body has too much inflammation. High CRP means your body might be under stress or fighting off something.

You can lower CRP by taking:

• B6 and niacin (vitamin B)
• A strong turmeric supplement like superbio curcumin

The lower your CRP, the better your recovery, heart health, and gains.

Hormone Check – Testosterone and DHT

Many think this is just about checking testosterone. But it’s actually a full body health check.

Testosterone tells you how your body is doing overall. If you’re older and start TRT (testosterone replacement therapy), you might feel like you’re 18 again.

Knowing your natural testosterone levels helps you decide your starting dose:

• If you’re naturally high, you can start lower
  
  
  
• If you’re low, you may need more

Also, remember:

• When you’re dieting or in a calorie deficit, your test levels drop
• DHT is linked with hair loss and acne
• High DHT may kill your libido, but it depends on the person

Estradiol (Estrogen)

When testosterone goes up, estrogen usually goes up too. Don’t ignore this.

If you’re taking something like Arimidex, be careful:

• Take 0.25 to 0.5 mg per week
• Don’t crash your estrogen levels
• Always start small

Crashing estrogen leads to tiredness, dry joints, and other problems.

Lipid Panel (Cholesterol Test)

This test checks your good and bad cholesterol.

Steroids can:

• Push your bad cholesterol up (LDL)

This raises the chance of heart disease. To stay safe, get this test done while fasting.

Kidney Function Test

Steroids can stress your kidneys because your body is building more muscle. More muscle means your kidneys work harder to filter waste. Over time, this can cause kidney damage if you’re not careful. Good news: If you stop using the compound that caused it, your kidneys can recover. But you need to catch the problem early with this test.

When to Do These Tests?

Here’s the best timeline for testing:

• Before the cycle – baseline tests to see if your body is healthy
• 6 to 8 eeks into your cycle – check how the compounds are affecting your body
  
  
• After the cycle or post-cycle therapy (PCT) – make sure your body is returning to normal

During your cycle, re-check tests like:

• Lipid panel
• Hematocrit
• Estrogen levels

Skip testosterone tests mid-cycle because injections will mess up the numbers.

Final Tips

Some people use 10 different compounds at once with no health tracking. That’s abuse. It’s bad and will wreck your body over time. Others use small, smart doses to feel better, look better, and live better. That’s use, not abuse.

If you’re serious about your health and want to get jacked without killing your organs, then:

• Learn about your blood work
• Track it regularly
• Keep your cycle simple
• Focus more on food and training, not just the drugs

And remember, taking 1 or 2 pills helps your headache. Taking a handful can destroy your liver. The same logic works with steroids. If you want a coach or expert to check your blood work and give real advice, there are options out there. Just don’t guess. Be smart and stay healthy while chasing your goals.