Male-like symptoms may signal ovarian syndrome

"Male-like symptoms may signal ovarian syndrome in females" Ann Landers, Saturday, May 29, 1999. Dear Ann Landers: I am 26 years old. The hair on my head is thinning, my facial hair is getting thicker, and the spare tire on my waist keeps expanding. This may be normal for a man, but not for a woman. It took years before a doctor properly diagnosed me with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)....Somewhere between 6 percent and 20 percent of pre-menopausal women have PCOS. Symptoms include infertility, irregular periods, facial hair, male pattern baldness, depression, acne, and weight gain. Women with PCOS may also be at risk for uterine cancer if they are not menstruating....I am now on a new drug and starting to see some great results. I urge every woman with the symptoms I have described to contact the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, P.O. Box7007, Rosemont, Ill 60018 (www.pcosupport.org)...." Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, is one of the causes of male-pattern baldness in females. Insulin resistance is also seen in such condition and has been associated with hair loss as well. Ask your doctor for details.