No Metabolic Impact of Surgical Normalization of Hyperandrogenism in Postmenopausal Women with Ovarian Androgen-Secreting Tumors

The study investigated the effects of surgically reducing high testosterone levels in five postmenopausal women with ovarian androgen-secreting tumors (OAST), aged 63 ± 5 years. Fifteen age-matched and BMI-matched postmenopausal women without hyperandrogenism were used as controls. Although testosterone and gonadotrophin levels normalized after the patients underwent oophorectomy, there were no significant changes in body weight, insulin sensitivity, or most other metabolic parameters. Only one diabetic patient showed a moderate decrease in haemoglobin Alc. The study suggests that the metabolic consequences of high testosterone levels in postmenopausal women with OAST may be less significant than previously thought, and that more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between hyperandrogenism and metabolic function.