Does having a lot of body hair indicate high levels of male hormones (androgens)?
Disease description:
Recently, I noticed that my body hair has become quite heavy, and I would like to know whether excessive body hair indicates high levels of male hormones.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
The amount of body hair may be related to the level of androgens in the body, but it can also be influenced by other factors.
Androgens, especially testosterone, promote the growth of body hair, including facial, chest, abdominal, and limb hair. Therefore, both males and females with higher androgen levels may experience increased body hair growth.
However, the amount of body hair is not solely determined by androgen levels. Genetic factors also play an important role; for example, some people naturally have thick body hair.
In addition, individual differences and medication use can also affect body hair growth. In females, this condition may be associated with endocrine disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can cause elevated androgen levels, leading to symptoms like increased body hair and irregular menstruation. For males, although having abundant body hair is usually considered normal, if accompanied by other symptoms such as breast development or sexual dysfunction, other health issues should be considered.
Therefore, when determining whether excessive body hair is caused by high androgen levels, the above factors should be comprehensively considered.
