Women With Clinically Significant Hirsutism Always Have Detectable Endocrinological Abnormalities

December 1997 in “ Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ”

Marwan M. Al-Khawajah, Mona A. Fouda Neel

hirsutism androgen levels polycystic ovaries hyperprolactinemia congenital adrenal hyperplasia hormonal abnormalities polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS

TLDR All women with significant unwanted hair growth have hormonal imbalances, often from polycystic ovary syndrome.

The 1997 study investigated 120 Saudi women with clinically significant hirsutism and found that all 78 evaluable patients had detectable hormonal abnormalities. The most common findings were elevated androgen levels (85.9%), polycystic ovaries (59%), hyperprolactinemia (34.6%), and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (14.1%). The study concluded that the term 'idiopathic hirsutism' may be misapplied, as most women with hirsutism have underlying hormonal disturbances, particularly polycystic ovary syndrome. The authors recommended a two-step laboratory work-up to identify the cause of hirsutism in affected women.

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Research cited in this study

2 / 2 results

research Biomedical Versus Cultural Constructions of Abnormality: The Case of Idiopathic Hirsutism in the United States

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research The Evaluation of the Role of Androgens in Hirsutism and the Use of a New Anti-Androgen Cyproterone Acetate for Therapy

58 citations, July 1974 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism”

Cyproterone acetate combined with ethinyl estradiol significantly reduced hirsutism in women.

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