Treatment of Hyperandrogenism in Women

January 1996 in “ Gynecological Endocrinology ”

T. Rabe, Klaus Grunwald, K. Feldmann, B. Runnebaum

hyperandrogenism acne vulgaris cyproterone acetate ethinylestradiol spironolactone flutamide corticosteroids GnRH analogs acne GnRH

From the encyclopedia

Cyproterone →

a synthetic anti-androgen and weak progestogen that inhibits DHT binding to androgen receptor

Ethinylestradiol →

Spironolactone →

powerful topical and oral anti-androgen used mostly by women

Studysummary This review evaluates therapies for hyperandrogenism, highlighting cyproterone acetate as the preferred treatment due to its potency and tolerability in managing symptoms in women. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

In the 1996 review, T. Rabe et al. discussed the treatment of hyperandrogenism in women, emphasizing the importance of addressing this condition to prevent various health complications. They reported that 25-40% of women aged 15-25 suffer from acne vulgaris, and 15-30% of women in Germany exhibit clinically relevant symptoms of hyperandrogenism. The review found cyproterone acetate to be the most potent and well-tolerated antiandrogen, suitable for treating hyperandrogenism, especially when combined with ethinylestradiol. Other treatments such as spironolactone, flutamide, corticosteroids, and GnRH analogs were also discussed, with their efficacy, side effects, and safety considered. The authors concluded that cyproterone acetate is the preferred treatment for hyperandrogenism in women when there are no contraindications for estrogen/progestogen combinations.

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