[Postmenopausal virilization in thecosis of the ovaries]

We describe the case of a 74-year-old woman with a fifteen-year old history of virilism and with a Type-II-diabetes mellitus treated with insulin. After the removal of the ovaries, the formerly elevated serum-testosterone levels normalised and the signs of virilism gradually abated. The histological finding of stromal thecosis in the ovaries is discussed in relation to hyperinsulinaemia and other potential stimuli for ovarian stromal hyperplasia.