Parenteral and Oral Cyproterone Acetate Treatment in Severe Hirsutism

In a study from 1987, 20 patients with severe hirsutism were treated with cyproterone acetate either orally (100 mg for the first 10 days of the menstrual cycle) or via a monthly intramuscular implant (300 mg on the first day of each cycle), along with the contraceptive Diane. After 9 treatment cycles and a 3-month post-treatment period, both treatments showed no significant differences in serum levels of testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, and prolactin. However, the parenteral (implant) group exhibited a greater reduction in facial hair diameter and more improvement in dermatological parameters than the oral group. This suggests that medium-dose parenteral treatment may be more effective than higher-dose oral treatment, raising questions about possible differences in cellular metabolism between the two methods.