POSTMENOPAUSAL IDIOPATHIC HIRSUTISM

Hirsutism is a common condition that can affect individuals of any age group. The medical literature has so far concentrated on this problem in women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women represented 15% of referrals to a hirsutism clinic. In contrast to premenopausal women w ith hirsutism, postmenopausal women were concerned almost exclusively with facial hair. They were also less likely to have used either local or systemic treatments. While in premenopausal women there was a nega tive correlation between age and androgens and a positive correlation between age and the amount of facial hair, these associations were not found in the postmenopausal subjects.