Question

What causes excess androgen in females?

Answer 1

Hint: androgen are hormones that may play a role in male traits and reproductive activity. It is commonly known as male hormone but both men’s and women’s bodies produce androgen, just in differing amounts. In women one of the main purposes of androgens is to be converted into the female hormones called estrogens.

Complete answer:-
To answer this question you must know about the role of androgen in females.
In women, androgen is produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat cells. In fact, women may produce too much or too little of these hormones. Excess androgen or deficiency of androgen can cause common hormonal disorders in women.
Androgen levels in women peak during their twenties. than the daily production decline that begins and continues throughout a woman’s life. By the time a woman reaches menopause, blood androgen levels are about half of what they were at her peak. In healthy women, the ovaries and adrenal glands produced about 40% to 50% of the body’s testosterone. Tumors of the ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can both cause too much androgen production and it can leads to male body characteristics and excess androgens production can also pose a problem, such as “virilising effects'' as acne and hirsutism which means excess hair growth inappropriate places like chin or upper lip.

Note:-
In women, androgen plays a key role in the hormonal cascade that kick –starts puberty, stimulating hair growth in the pubic and underarm areas. These hormones help to regulate the function of many organs, including the reproductive tract, bone, kidney, liver and muscles. In adult women it is necessary for the synthesis of estrogen. It plays a key role in the prevention of bone loss, as well as sexual desire and satisfaction.