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Guide · The honest answer

Can a DNA test tell you if steroids are safe for you? No.

We sell a DNA test to people who use or are thinking about anabolic steroids, so we want to be clear about this first. Here is what a genetic test can and can’t tell you, and what does show how your body is coping.

Quick answer

No genetic test can tell you that anabolic steroids are safe for you, which side effects you will get or which substances to take. A DNA test reads variants you were born with; the harms of steroids depend mostly on what is taken, how much and for how long.

  • A DNA test can tell you which hormone-related variants you carry and what research has found about them.
  • Blood tests and blood pressure checks, repeated over time, show how your body is coping.
  • Corticosteroids (like prednisolone) are a different family of medicines with their own genetic research.

Why genes can’t answer the safety question

The known harms of anabolic-androgenic steroids include raised red blood cell levels (haematocrit), high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, changes to the heart muscle, liver strain, shutdown of natural testosterone production and effects on mood.[1, 2] These depend on the substances, the doses, how long they are used, and the person’s health, age and other habits.[2]

Genes do shape hormone biology. Variation in the androgen receptor gene, in aromatase (which turns testosterone into oestradiol), in SHBG (which carries testosterone in the blood) and in the enzymes that clear testosterone has been studied for decades.[3] But nearly all of that research is in men’s natural hormones or prescribed testosterone, the effects found are usually small, and results often differ between studies. No study has shown that a genetic result predicts who will be harmed by anabolic steroids.

What a DNA test can tell you

  • Which variants you carry in genes involved in hormone biology.
  • What researchers have reported about those variants, and how strong that evidence is.
  • Where the evidence is uncertain or conflicting.
  • Some things that matter in specific settings, such as the UGT2B17 deletion and urine-based doping tests.

What it can’t tell you

  • Whether steroids are safe for you.
  • Which side effects you will or won’t get.
  • Which substances or amounts to take. We will never advise on this.
  • Your hormone levels, or how your heart, liver or blood are doing.

What does show how your body is coping

Blood tests and blood pressure checks, before, during and after use. UK primary-care guidance for people who use anabolic steroids suggests checking haematocrit, cholesterol, liver and kidney function, blood sugar and hormones, and blood pressure, and sets thresholds at which a GP should act.[4] Our guide to blood tests for steroid users goes through them, and the checklist tool makes a printable list to take to your GP or a clinic.

Anabolic steroids and corticosteroids aren’t the same

Searches for “genetic test for steroid response” often turn up research on corticosteroids, such as prednisolone or the steroids in asthma inhalers. Those medicines treat inflammation and have their own pharmacogenetic research. This page, and GeneticEdge, are about anabolic-androgenic steroids: testosterone and related substances.

Questions

Can genetic testing tell me if steroids are safe for me?

No. No genetic test, including ours, can tell you that anabolic steroids are safe for you, which side effects you will get or which substances to take. The harms of anabolic steroids, such as raised haematocrit, high blood pressure, heart changes and lowered natural testosterone, depend on what is taken, how much, for how long, and on your health, far more than on any single gene.

Then what can a DNA test tell me?

Which variants you carry in genes involved in making, carrying, converting and responding to hormones, what researchers have found about those variants, and where that evidence is uncertain. That is background about your biology, not a prediction.

Is there a genetic test for steroid response like there is for some medicines?

Not in the way pharmacogenomic tests work for some prescription medicines, where guidelines tell doctors how to adjust a dose for a gene variant. No such guideline exists for anabolic steroids. If you have seen a 'steroid response' gene test online, it may be about corticosteroids like prednisolone, which is a different family of medicines.

What shows how my body is coping with steroids?

Blood tests and a blood pressure check, repeated over time: haematocrit, cholesterol, liver and kidney function, and hormones. UK primary-care guidance sets out what to check and when.

Can a DNA test show if someone has taken steroids?

No. Your DNA doesn't change when you take anything. Steroid use is detected with urine or blood tests for the substances and their breakdown products.

Where can I get confidential advice in the UK?

Your GP, a pharmacist, or a needle and syringe programme. Many programmes see people who use steroids every day, offer free advice and equipment, and some offer health checks. The NHS page on anabolic steroid misuse has more.

Sources

  1. NHS. Anabolic steroid misuse.
  2. Pope HG Jr et al. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocr Rev 2014;35:341–75.
  3. Ruth KS et al. Using human genetics to understand the disease impacts of testosterone in men and women. Nat Med 2020;26:252–58.
  4. Gibbons SM et al. Essential blood testing in the patient using androgenic anabolic steroids: a clinical practice guideline for primary care. Br J Gen Pract 2024;74:187–90.

For information only, not medical advice. GeneticEdge does not recommend or endorse anabolic steroid use, and no genetic test can tell you whether steroids are safe for you. Talk to a GP or pharmacist about your health. Last reviewed 30 October 2026.