Postmenopausal Idiopathic Hirsutism

Abstract

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 with 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 negative 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.