Amenorrhea with cryptic hyperandrogenemia

It is current practice to assume that when menstrual disturbances are associated with androgen excess there will be additional clinical evidence of this. We have recently seen three women with secondary amenorrhea who did not have any other clinical features of androgen excess, i.e. hirsutism, acne, etc., but who had elevated plasma testosterone and androstenedione levels in addition to increased estrone values. Correction of hypertestosteronemia and elevated estrone levels was followed by ovulation, regular menstruation, and pregnancy. Variable tissue sensitivity to androgens probably accounts for these observations. If measurement of androgen levels is omitted in the evaluation of patients with amenorrhea without hirsutism, cryptic hyperandrogenemia will remain undetected. Plasma testosterone levels should be measured in all patients with amenorrhea of unknown etiology, and only if these are normal should a diagnosis of functional amenorrhea be assigned.