Prevalence of polycystic ovaries in women with androgenic alopecia
November 2003
in “European journal of endocrinology”
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.
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