13 High Androgen Symptoms in Women
Androgens are hormones we often think of as male hormones but women have these as well just in lower amounts than men. Testosterone is produced in the ovaries, and DHEA is produced by our adrenal glands, the same glands responsible for producing cortisol. High androgens are one of the diagnostic criteria for PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is important to notice high androgen symptoms to give you a clue as to if you have PCOS as well.
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Testosterone root cause - blood sugar imbalances and insulin resistance because the ovary will produce more testosterone with higher insulin levels - ovarian androgen
DHEA root cause - stress - adrenal androgen
Here are 13 potential high androgen symptoms:
1. Hirsutism
Hirsutism is another one of the many high androgen symptoms. Affecting 5-10% of females, it is defined as the male-like pattern of hair growth on a female, typically around the face, back, and upper stomach. This is the result of high testosterone and PCOS. Hirsutism can be caused by past drug use from anabolic steroids, oral contraceptives, or high blood pressure medications. The reason for the hair growth is from the hair follicles becoming overstimulated as a result of high testosterone levels, and they will therefore grow at a rapid rate and will also increase pigmentation of the hair.
2. Hair Loss
Now, everyone has various hair textures and thickness, but if you are noticing that you are shedding more hair than usual, this can be one of the high androgen symptoms. Female hair loss is due to the miniaturization of the hair follicle, and increasing terminal follicles. DHT is made from a reaction between testosterone and the enzyme dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA. DHT is an opponent of hair follicles and the more it is produced the more it will create hair loss and miniaturize the hair follicle. High levels of androgens, an indicator of PCOS, will catalyze this reaction to form DHT and therefore lose hair.
Source: 18044135, American Hairloss
3. Irregular Periods
A period is considered irregular if your cycle is less than 21 days or more than 35 days, missing 3 or more periods in a row, or if your flow is much lighter or heavier than usual. Irregular periods are one of the high androgen symptoms. Having a regular period is dependent on ovulation and also hormones. It is vital to have a normal period because if you don’t this is your body sending you a signal that there is something imbalanced with your hormones. When your period is irregular you have delayed ovulation or you are just not ovulating.
Source: NIH
4. Insulin Resistance
About 70% of women with PCOS also have insulin resistance. For this reason, insulin resistance is another one of the high androgen symptoms. Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas when you eat food, and its job is to take sugar into cells for energy. Think of it like the cell accepting the sugar is a lock and insulin is the key. When you are insulin resistant the cells deny the insulin with the sugar, so your blood sugar rises along with insulin levels. This would mean that the cell or “lock” changes so that the insulin or “key” no longer fits.
Insulin resistance causes high levels of testosterone because when insulin levels are high in the blood, it will stimulate an enzyme called 17-hydroxylase which will stimulate the ovaries to make more testosterone. Additionally, this process will inhibit the synthesis of a binding protein to testosterone which increases the abundance of free testosterone in the blood.
5. Acne
Acne is another one of the high androgen symptoms because acne is highly dependent on hormone activity. In each pore of our skin, we have sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oil-like liquid, which helps to moisturize and protect our skin. When too many dead skin cells collect on the top of the skin in conjunction with high amounts of sebum, this can create a clog in our sebaceous glands and will result in inflammation. Our body will respond to this inflammation by sending white blood cells to the site of the clog which forms the white-headed acne.
High androgen levels are one of the diagnostic criteria for PCOS, and it can also impact acne. Testosterone gets converted into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and this is what causes the increase in sebum in the sebaceous glands to further produce acne. This is why acne is one of the high androgen symptoms.
Source: 30881413 European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
6. Irritability
Irritability can be one of the high androgen symptoms too. Testosterone is linked with aggression, and at elevated levels, it can cause females to be irritable. Another connection that is possible is that high testosterone disrupts the menstrual cycle so females feel irritable due to this too.
Source:24076484, Harvard Health
7. Depression
Depression is another one of the high androgen symptoms. Studies show that females with symptoms of PCOS, hirsutism, acne, and hair loss have higher plasma testosterone levels and additionally have higher depression cases. The link between depression and high testosterone can originate from women who may feel less confident if they are dealing with additional symptoms like infertility, hair loss, facial hair growth, etc. Additionally, depression can be a symptom of PCOS due to nutrient balances which result in increased testosterone levels that imbalance estrogen and progesterone.
Source: 11955793, Harvard Health
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8. Skin Tags
Skin tags are little growths of skin on the top layer of the body which do not have any nerves in them. The development of these skin tags is one of the high androgen symptoms due to insulin resistance. The study found that when you block androgen receptors in the skin, you will increase the number of skin tags. This proves that skin tags are one of the high androgen symptoms because as the androgen receptors are blocked, this would intentionally increase the free testosterone levels, which formed skin tags.
Source: 20418971
9. Anxiety
In addition to irritability, anxiety is another one of the high androgen symptoms. Because of the aggressive nature that testosterone can bring about at high levels, this can cause females specifically to gain anxious tendencies and episodes. The link between anxiety and high androgens can originate from women who may feel less confident if they are dealing with additional symptoms like infertility, hair loss, facial hair growth, etc. In addition, anxiety can be a symptom of PCOS due to nutrient balances which result in increased testosterone levels that imbalance estrogen and progesterone.
Source: 24076484, Harvard Health
10. Long Menstrual Cycles
Having a long menstrual cycle is another one of the high androgen symptoms. The average menstrual cycle is 3 to 7 days, so anything longer than 7 days would be considered a long menstrual cycle. These prolonged cycles are due to the fact that the hormone balance of estrogen and progesterone can be changed due to the high testosterone levels. Ovulation becomes delayed when your menstrual cycle is too long due to high androgen levels. One of the androgens, testosterone, can become high because of high insulin due to blood sugar imbalances. When insulin is high, it will signal the ovaries to produce more testosterone. Another one of the androgens, DHEA, is more commonly caused to become high due to stress. Additionally, it is important to note that the long periods can be detrimental because of an elevated loss of blood which may cause anemia.
Source: 17039468
11. Infertility
Another one of the high androgen symptoms is infertility. When hormone levels are imbalanced, it will make fertility harder to achieve. Increased androgen levels in those with PCOS make it harder for women to become pregnant because as a result, progesterone and estrogen are decreased. These two hormones are vital for ovulation, and preparation for a successful pregnancy.
Source: 420268
12. Rough/Dark Skin Areas
Rough or dark skin patches are another one of the high androgen symptoms. These symptoms are linked with insulin resistance, which we know causes higher testosterone levels in those with PCOS. High insulin levels in the blood cause activation of insulin growth factor IGF-1 receptors on skin cells called keratinocytes and also fibroblasts which initiate rapid cell growth. This is what will cause dark or rough patches on the skin.
Source: 27921251
13. Oily Skin
Along with acne, oily skin can also be another one of the high androgen symptoms. As previously mentioned, testosterone converts into DHT and this is what makes you produce more sebum. The sebum is an oil-like liquid, so this excess production of the sebum is what makes oily skin one of the common PCOS symptoms.
Source: 30881413, European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
