Bilateral Ovarian Hyperthecosis: A Benign and Unusual Cause of Postmenopausal Hirsutism
April 2019
in “
Journal of the Endocrine Society
”
TLDR Bilateral ovarian hyperthecosis is a rare but treatable cause of increased facial hair in postmenopausal women.
The document described a case of a 62-year-old postmenopausal woman who presented with increasing facial hair, coarseness of facial skin, and alopecia over two years. Despite normal menstrual history and no significant medical illness, her hormonal profile showed elevated testosterone levels. After ruling out other endocrine causes, imaging revealed normal ovaries and uterus. Due to persistent symptoms and high testosterone levels, she underwent a total hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. Postoperatively, her symptoms improved, and testosterone levels normalized. Histopathology confirmed bilateral ovarian hyperthecosis and benign endometrial hyperplasia. The case highlighted that bilateral ovarian hyperthecosis, though rare, could be a curable cause of postmenopausal hirsutism.
