TLDR The painting of an 18th-century Sicilian baroness shows she had hair loss, possibly due to ovarian issues, insulin resistance, or a specific type of tumor.
The document discusses a portrait of Aurora Monizio di Mandralisca, a postmenopausal Sicilian baroness from the eighteenth century, which is housed in the Mandralisca Museum in Cefalù, Sicily. The portrait shows the baroness with clear signs of androgenic alopecia, a form of hair loss. The authors speculate that this could have been caused by ovarian hyperthecosis or insulin resistance, or possibly by an androgen-secreting tumor such as an ovarian Leydigoma or an adrenocortical adenoma. Other causes like polycystic ovary syndrome or congenital adrenal hyperplasia were considered less likely due to her presumably normal sexual development and known parity.
84 citations
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September 2014 in “European journal of endocrinology” Doctors should check for serious tumor causes of high androgen levels in postmenopausal women and more research is needed on this condition.
31 citations
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May 2012 in “European Journal of Dermatology” Menopause affects hair and skin; more research needed for treatment.
35 citations
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March 2012 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” The conclusion is that accurately identifying the cause of high androgen levels in women with PCOS is crucial and requires specific tests.
14 citations
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January 2012 in “Endocrine development” The conclusion is that a thorough approach is needed to diagnose and manage hyperandrogenism in teenage girls, recognizing its major psychological and health effects.
36 citations
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May 2011 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” Treatment with a hormone agonist can reduce excess male hormones in postmenopausal women without surgery.
14 citations
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March 2022 in “Clinical Endocrinology” The document concludes that a systematic approach is crucial to identify causes of androgen excess in women beyond the most common cause, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
