Use of Spironolactone in Combination with an Oral Contraceptive in Treatment of Hirsutism

    January 2004
    Mohammed Hiasat, Hasan Y. Malkawi, Awad Shehadeh
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    TLDR Spironolactone with an oral contraceptive improved hair growth in women with hirsutism.
    In a study from 2004 involving 36 hirsute women, 32 completed a 6-month treatment combining spironolactone (100 mg/day) and an oral contraceptive (Microgynon 30). The treatment led to both subjective and objective improvements in hair growth for 25 of the participants. Additionally, there were significant reductions in serum levels of testosterone, androstenedione, and 17 hydroxyprogesterone, while sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels increased. The treatment also suppressed LH and FSH levels to less than 0.9 i.u/l and less than 0.5 i.u/l, respectively. Four patients withdrew due to persistent nausea.
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