Determining the development state of HPTA and endocrine system

[MattN]

First off i apologize if this has been covered in a sticky, or answered multiple times,
My questions is to do with the fact that everyone suggests a minimum age for AAS use.
Would it not be entirely possible for someone at 25+ to still be developing, while someone who is say 20 has fully developed?
does the onset of puberty have an effect on this?
How could someone determine if they are in fact done?

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

The end of physical development is fairly easy to determine - no further increases in height or other physical body parts, no further changes to your voice, facial/body hair, close of growth plates, etc.
The research suggests that physical development ends between 18-21 & its rare to find someone who continues to develop beyond this.

Now when it comes to mental development (your brain and therefore endocrine system) it gets more complicated.
The research suggests that the endocrine system tends to be fully developed between the average age of 23-25 - this is why you will hear most people suggest not to cycle before 25.

Is it possible to be finished developing before/after this average age?
Yes, its only an average and there will always be outliers.
However, its impossible to determine whether your done, or for anyone on any forum to determine your done, unless you go to a neurologist and have a bunch of scans/tests. But even here, the science on brain development is still relatively young.

Basically, we usually suggest not cycling before 25 because its a nice, safe estimate on full endocrine/HPTA development for most people.
Some people may be developed before/after this point - but its impossible for us to determine so we always use the average estimate instead.