Production Rates of Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone in Female Pattern Hair Loss

July 2003 in “ Metabolism-clinical and Experimental ”

Heinrich Vierhapper, Hans Jürgen Maier, Peter Nowotny, Werner Waldhäusl

testosterone dihydrotestosterone female-pattern hair loss female-pattern baldness 5a-reductase inhibition stable isotope dilution technique mass spectrometry T DHT female-pattern baldness 5-alpha reductase inhibition

TLDR Women with female-pattern baldness produce more testosterone, but 5a-reductase inhibition treatment won't help.

A study conducted 19 years ago aimed to determine the production rates of testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in young women with female-pattern hair loss. The study found that women with female-pattern baldness have increased production rates of T, but not of DHT, unlike men with male-pattern baldness. The results suggest that 5a-reductase inhibition is of no therapeutic value in female-pattern baldness. The study was conducted on eight young women using the stable isotope dilution technique and mass spectrometry.

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