Testosterone Concentrations and Oligomenorrhea in Women with Acne

    November 1997 in “ International Journal of Dermatology ”
    Stefan Hasinski, Gladys H. Telang, Leslie I. Rose, Jeffrey L. Pollock, Richard L. Spielvogel, Jeffrey L. Miller
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    TLDR Women with acne and irregular periods had higher active testosterone levels, which could suggest the usefulness of antiandrogen treatment.
    In a 1997 study involving 44 Caucasian women with acne, researchers found that those with oligomenorrhea (irregular menstrual cycles) had significantly higher levels of biologically active testosterone (33±16.9 ng/dL) compared to women with regular menstrual cycles (19±13.6 ng/dL, p<0.05). Total testosterone and free testosterone levels did not differ significantly between the two groups. The study suggested that measuring biologically active testosterone in women with acne and oligomenorrhea could be useful, and elevated levels might indicate the potential benefit of antiandrogen therapy.
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