Defining Hirsutism in Chinese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

September 2011 in “ Fertility and Sterility ”

Xiaomiao Zhao, Renmin Ni, Li Lin, Yujun Mo, Jia Huang, Mei-Feng Huang, Ricardo Azziz, Dongzi Yang

TLDR An mFG score of 5 or more indicates above-normal hair growth in Southern Chinese women.

In a cross-sectional study of 2,988 Chinese women aged 20-45, a modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mFG) score of ≥5 was determined to be the cut-off for hirsutism, present in 10% of participants. This threshold was associated with higher incidences of acne, menstrual irregularities, polycystic ovaries, and acanthosis nigricans. The prevalence of hirsutism decreased with age, and a higher body mass index was correlated with increased mFG scores. The study's large sample size and use of cluster analysis to determine the cut-off score strengthened its findings, suggesting that an mFG score of 5 or greater indicates above-normal hair growth in Southern Chinese women.

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