The androgenic polycystic ovary

Abstract

The polycystic ovary has the capacity to produce excessive androgens (delta4-androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and testosterone). Whether this disorder is caused by constant pituitary priming of the ovaries due to hypothalamic-pituitary derangement or an ovarian enzyme defect, the end result is the same, i.e., abnormal androgen production. In an effort to explain the syndrome, we offer the hypothesis of an inherently sensitized adrenal secreting excessive androgen which leads to an imbalance in the hypothalamic-pituitary axia. The result is a tonic stimulation of the ovaries eventuating in "the androgenic polycystic ovary."