New Criteria for the Clinical Diagnosis of Hyperandrogenism in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and the Risk of Overdiagnosis
June 2019
in “
Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetrícia
”
TLDR Using only hyperandrogenism to diagnose PCOS can lead to overdiagnosis.
The document discussed the issue of excess body hair in women, known as hirsutism, which often affects their femininity and self-esteem. Hirsutism is typically linked to hyperandrogenism, but this association is not always present. In 30-50% of women with mild hirsutism, elevated androgen levels were not detected, highlighting the risk of overdiagnosis when using hyperandrogenism as a sole criterion for diagnosing conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).