Plasma testosterone glucosiduronate: a reliable indicator of female hyperandrogenism (idiopathic hirsutism and androgenic alopecia).

Plasma concentrations of testosterone glucosiduronate (TG) have been determined by direct radioimmunoassay in seventeen normal females, twenty females with idiopathic hirsutism, and in twelve female subjects with androgenetic alopecia without hirsutism, respectively. The corresponding mean concentrations (+/- SD) of TG were 0.47 +/- 0.18; 1.42 +/- 0.55; 0.96 +/- 0.22 ng/ml. There was no overlapping of plasma TG levels of both groups with hyperandrogenism with those obtained in normal females. On the contrary, plasma concentrations of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were found within the normal ranges in about 50% of the patients with hyperandrogenism. The synchronously estimated urinary excretion of TG revealed marked fluctuations (mean +/- SD): 27.0 +/- 12.0; 60.5 +/- 24.6; 36.3 +/- 14.1 microgram/24 h respectively.