Hyperandrogenism produced by ovarian tumors in women at different life stages.

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate the different presentations of hyperandrogenism produced by ovarian tumors in women at different life stages

DESIGN

case report.

SETTING

academic institutions.

PATIENT(S): 3 patients at different life stages, with increased androgen levels.

INTERVENTION(S): review of hospital records.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): clinical and biochemical features, treatment and follow-up.

RESULT(S): a 10 year-old girl with Leydig cell tumor presented with hyperandrogenemia, virilization and changes in social behavior. Another patient, at reproductive age, with a tumor>10 cm, presented with signs of virilization and abdominal mass, whose pathologic analysis disclosed a carcinoid tumor of the ovary associated with stromal hyperplasia. The third patient was a postmenopausal woman with severe alopecia, who presented a steroid cell tumor, rare at that age.

CONCLUSION(S): the evaluation of women with signs and symptoms of virilization should include a detailed clinical record, thorough physical examination and an appropriate hormonal dosage, especially when images are inconclusive.