Prevalence of Polycystic Ovaries in Women with Androgenic Alopecia

    November 2003 in “ European journal of endocrinology
    Ester Cela, Carole Robertson, Karen Rush, Eleni Kousta, Davinia White, H. R. Wilson, Glenn Lyons, Philip J. Kingsley, Mark I. McCarthy, Stephen Franks
    Image of study
    TLDR Women with androgenic alopecia are more likely to have polycystic ovaries and higher androgen levels, which may indicate PCOS.
    The 2003 study involving 89 women with androgenic alopecia and 73 control women found that a significantly higher proportion of women with alopecia had polycystic ovaries (67% vs. 27%) and hirsutism (21% vs. 4%). Women with alopecia also exhibited higher levels of testosterone, androstenedione, and free androgen index, suggesting an association with hyperandrogenemia. Despite most having normal androgen levels, the presence of elevated androgen metabolism indices pointed to a strong link between androgenic alopecia and PCO. The findings imply that androgenic alopecia may be an indicator of PCOS, which is important for patient management due to the associated risk of type 2 diabetes.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Research cited in this study

    3 / 3 results

    Related Community Posts Join

    6 / 1000+ results

      community C’est terrible - at my wits end

      in Female  446 upvotes 1 year ago
      A 29-year-old woman is experiencing gradual hair thinning since age 15, suspects Androgenic Alopecia, and has tried 5% minoxidil with little success. She has purchased various hair loss treatments including minoxidil, dutasteride, finasteride, and spironolactone, but is cautious about starting them due to potential interactions with her ADHD medication.
      Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

      community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

      in Research  692 upvotes 3 months ago
      Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

      community My scalp punch biopsy results🤔?

      in Female  8 upvotes 1 year ago
      Female using Rogaine foam for hair loss had scalp punch biopsy, diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA). Doctor recommended starting Spironolactone 50mg.

      community Why balding gets worse in every generation?

      in Chat  81 upvotes 5 months ago
      Balding seems to worsen with each generation, possibly due to stress, diet, and environmental factors. The user started treatments like Minoxidil and finasteride.

    Related Research

    3 / 3 results