Women with NC-CAH had significantly lower orgasm scores, a trend toward lower sexual function with higher sexual distress, as well as biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism (higher dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and lower SHBG) and a trend toward more clinical signs of hyperandrogenism (hirsutism).
A reduction in plasma sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a transport carrier that binds estrogen and androgens and regulates their biological activities, is often used as an indicator of hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS.
Nonobese patients with PCOS have adrenal hyperandrogenism as the underlying mechanism while their obese/ insulin-resistant counterparts have low SHBG and hence an increased fraction of free testosterone.
According to reduced sex hormone-binding globulin levels and increased free androgen index in the present study, obesity was linked with hyperandrogenism in female subjects.
The FAI is not a reliable indicator of free T when the SHBG concentration is low and would give misleading information in a large number of women being investigated for hyperandrogenism.
These results were confirmed by a multiple regression analysis model in which adrenal hyperandrogenism was negatively associated with age (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and SHBG concentrations (<i>P</i> = 0.02), but not with any metabolic parameter.
Serum androgen, IGFBP-1, and SHBG concentrations; IRS-1 genotypes.Twenty-five of 54 (45%) girls with a history of PP developed hyperinsulinemic ovarian hyperandrogenism at adolescence.
This SHBG decrease is more pronounced in girls with premature pubarche who are at risk to develop functional ovarian hyperandrogenism as well as insulin resistance syndrome.