HORMONE ASSAYS DURING RECURRENT EXCESSIVE HAIRGROWTH IN PREGNANCY

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Abstract
Three cases of recurrent excessive hairgrowth during pregnancy are described. The hormone excretion of two of these women was studied before and after stimulation tests. The patients received 40 IU of corticotrophin as an intravenous infusion and in addition a total of 3 mg fluorocortisone to produce suppression of the adrenals. Urinary steroids were determined before and during the stimulation tests. Four patients who were in the first trimester of pregnancy served as controls. After the legal termination of pregnancy incubation experiments with placental tissue were carried out to determine the ability of the placenta to convert the 17-OH-group of testosterone to the 17-keto-group. The results of these experiments were compared with those in normal subjects. In one case pregnancy had been legally terminated, and in the other the placenta was full-term. In both patients an increased 17-OH-progesterone secretion and some block in steroid synthesis were responsible for dysfunction. The excretion of total 17-ketosteroids, epiandrosterone and androsterone were higher in these patients than in the control group. In incubation experiments of placental tissue it was confirmed that the 17β-dehydrogenase activity of the patients was lower than in the control placenta. Hence, the inactivating capacity of testosterone was less than that of the control group. This phenomenon may be responsible for an increased level of testosterone in the plasma of the patients and of excessive hairgrowth during pregnancy. Of the six children born to the three mothers with recurrent excessive hairgrowth during pregnancy, three had severe congenital malformations, in one case of the heart and in two cases of the extremities.