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In the vast world of steroids and post-cycle therapy (PCT), there are a number of words and phrases which are commonly throw around when advanced topics come up... . While advanced steroid users may have a fundamental grasp of what these things are, beginner and intermediate users often just muddle their way through it, identifying SERMs or AIs by some brand name, but never quite sure what the difference is... Let’s check out some of the most commonly used terms, and discuss what they are and how they affect you... .. Aromatase Inhibitors, or AIs, are drugs used to lower estrogen, the female sex hormone, in the body... Both testosterone (the male sex hormone) and estrogen exist in both men and women, at differing levels.,. AIs lower estrogen levels in the body... After a bodybuilder uses steroids for 2 to 4 months, or runs a cycle, he needs to take a break for a few months... AIs are used to keep estrogen levels low... Otherwise, they will often spike when the steroid use (and subsequent elevated testosterone levels) are halted... AIs are used by intelligent bodybuilders to prevent excess estrogen levels in the body... While lowering estrogen levels is the goal, there are some caveats which should be noted... We want to keep estrogen levels low because when their levels become too high, side effects such as gynecomastia (fat growth around the nipple) and bloating (from water retention) can occur... However, dropping estrogen levels too far may result in other negative side effects... Without estrogen, the sex drive crashes. Also, your cholesterol will rise greatly, which could lead to heart disease... Finally soreness will skyrocket as a result of extremely sore joints, a condition which is usually nullified through the presence of estrogen... So estrogen isn’t all that bad – but extremely high levels of this sex hormone are... Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, or SERMS, work to accomplish the same goals as AIs, but they go about it differently... SERMs prevent the cells of the body from being receptive to estrogen which is present in the blood. It does nothing to lower estrogen levels, but it prevents ‘receptors’ in the cells of the body from being receptive to estrogen... In other words, the estrogen is in the body, but it has little effect. This helps to eliminate many of the negative side effects, without altering joint function or cholesterol levels significantly... SERMs are very popular with bodybuilders following a steroid cycle for another function they provide... When a person stops using steroids, his natural levels of testosterone production plummet... When steroid use is halted, it takes several months for the body to restart production... SERMs accelerate this process, so you don’t have to wait as long. ..Your testes begin producing sperm on their own much faster, so your sperm count (and resulting natural testosterone levels) return to their previously normal levels very quickly... This article is only a primer for the beginner to become more comfortable with these terms... Read each individual topic so that you can benefit your health and improve your gains!