question from a user
Please explain the role of androgens in PCOS? The condition is already caused by androgen excess
AlphaMD's Answer
Women produce more testosterone in their lifespan than estrogen. In fact young women produce 3-4x as much testosterone than estrogen daily. Women also have a much, much larger amount of the aromatase enzyme than men, which converts testosterone into estrogen.
The ovaries produce testosterone first, and the ovaries also have an abundance of the aromatase enzyme. You can think of the multiple cysts of PCOS acting like holes leaking out the testosterone before it can be converted into estrogen by the aromatase there.
So PCOS is not actually a problem of overproduction of androgens. Women with PCOS produce the same amount of testosterone they always do. It's a problem of too little conversion of testosterone into estrogen.
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