"High androgens" refers to elevated levels of male hormones in the body. These hormones, such as testosterone, are naturally found in both males and females, but having an excess of them can cause various health issues or hormonal imbalances.
Full definition
Women with PCOS start making more androgens, which causes the symptoms
of high androgens such as acne and rogue hairs.
Triple negative breast cancers were recently divided into further subtypes including a subtype with
high androgen receptor expression (Lehmann, JCI 2011).
The imbalance of hormones can lead to all kinds of problems: estrogen dominance in men and women (uterine and ovarian cancers, cysts and fibroids),
high androgens in women (PCOS), thyroid metabolism defects, adrenal exhaustion, and on and on.
High insulin and the
resulting high androgens are the underlying cause of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which can cause terrible ovarian pain, PMS and excess hair growth.
While PCOS has largely been associated with infertility,
constant high androgen and insulin exposure have lifelong consequences, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
It's important to note that while androgenetic alopecia or female pattern hair loss can be seen in women with medical conditions that
promote high androgen levels in the body, like PCOS, this type of hair loss is actually more common in postmenopausal women — and their androgen levels are usually normal.
It depends on what hormonal problems you have — monthly acne,
high androgens for a women, etc?
If you had high insulin levels and
high androgens then getting enough antioxidants would be impossible, but with only androgens being high you could easily manage it.
He or she will look for physical signs
of high androgens or testosterone like abnormal hair growth (specifically on the face, lower abdomen, back, and chest), acne, skin tags, male pattern baldness and acanthosis nigricans (darkened thick skin on the neck, thighs, armpits or vulva).
Zinc deficiency is associated
with higher androgens, the family of hormones to which testosterone belongs, and acne.
This was underscored in a Johns Hopkins study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in September 2004 which showed that women with metabolic syndrome have
high androgen levels.
Hormonally, a woman with metabolic syndrome tends to have
high androgen (male hormone) levels, high estrogen levels (the fat cells are making estrogen from androgens), high cortisol and low thyroid.
About 82 percent of women with excess androgens have PCOS, but it's important to note not all women with PCOS have
high androgens.
Zinc deficiency is associated with
higher androgens, the family of hormones to which testosterone belongs, and acne.)
Some theories suggest that women may develop PCOS from being exposed to
high androgen (testosterone) levels in the womb.
Here's how it works: Hirsutism occurs as a consequence of
the high androgen (testosterone) levels caused by PCOS.
Here's what confuses most people: not all women with excess androgens have PCOS, and not all women with PCOS have
high androgens.
Low progesterone and
high androgens, chiefly testosterone, cause infertility.
Studies found that these lifestyle changes will not only curb your PCOS or
high androgens, but will make you feel healthier.
It is usually coupled with some other menstrual or reproductive issue that results from high levels of «bad» estrogen, low progesterone and / or
high androgens.
OSA has been found to be as much as 30 times higher in women with PCOS (click here for more info on OSA and PCOS) and is related to
high androgens.
Most women who have insulin resistance also have
high androgens (remember those male sex hormones)?
Sometimes hair loss is associated with
high androgens (other sex hormones), but more commonly, the root cause is low iron, thyroid hormone imbalance, or insulin resistance.
If 17 - OH - progesterone (17 hydroxy progesterone) is elevated, that suggests a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which can also lead to
high androgens.
It is seen in women with high estrogen and low progesterone levels, and / or
high androgen (testosterone) and insulin levels.
Biochemical or physical signs of hyperandrogenism (
high androgens) without another medical cause
For women, your mouth, jawline, neck and chin might clear dramatically since acne correlates with testosterone and DHT in those areas, due to them having
a higher androgen receptor density.
High androgens are linked to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)(2), but in some cases the cause is unknown (3).
While they both generally have
high androgen levels, in the overweight PCOS women, insulin resistance and possibly thyroid abnormalities tend to be the driving force behind the syndrome.
It is linked to low levels of estrogen and progesterone and
high androgen levels (male hormones typically found in small amounts in women).
The panel recommends that the Rotterdam criteria be used which includes the presence of cysts on an ultrasound as one of three criteria (the others: irregular menses and clinical or biochemical signs of
high androgens).
In type 2 PCOS, a woman presents with irregular cycles and
high androgen levels but does not have ovarian cysts.