Oxandrolone is a weak steroid with only a slight androgenic component. It has been shown that Oxandrolone, when taken in reasonable dosages, rarely has any side effects. This is appreciated since Oxandrolone was developed mostly for women and children. Oxandrolone is one of the few steroids which does not cause an early stunting of growth in cluildren since it does not prematurely close the epiphysial growth plates. For this reason Oxandrolone is mostly used in children to stimulate growth and in women to prevent osteoporosis. Oxandrolone causes very light virilization symptoms, if at all. This characteristic makes Oxandrolone a favored remedy for female athletes since, at a daily dose of 10-30 mg, masculinizing symptoms are observed only rarely.