Researchers say many of the girls who use steroids also have eating disorders. Some, like their male counterparts, use the drug to boost athletic performance -- a trend observers attribute to more girls taking part in competitive sports. But others simply want to look more like their musical or matinee idols.

''With young women, you see them using it more as a weight control and body-fat reduction'' method, said Jeff Hoerger of Rutgers University, who has recently counseled two young girls who had used steroids -- one an 11th-grade swimmer who wanted help with weight loss. "She was just looking for quick results," Hoerger said.

Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University concluded that most high-school girls who used steroids had previously taken radical steps to lose weight. "They were more likely to have eating disorders and to abuse diuretics, amphetamines, and laxatives,'' said the school's Linn Goldberg.

Girls were most likely to get steroids from relatives, friends, at the gym, or online. By using the drugs, teen girls risk severe acne, smaller breasts, deepening of the voice, irregular periods, excessive facial and body hair, depression, paranoia, and fits of anger.

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