Diagnostic value of calculated testosterone indices in the assessment of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background: One of the main criteria to establish a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is hyperandrogenemia. Recent observations suggest that total testosterone may not be a sensitive marker for the detection of androgen excess. The aim of the present study was to compare the value of different androgen determinations for diagnosis of PCOS.

High dose estrogen treatment increases bone mineral density in male-to-female transsexuals receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist in the absence of testosterone.

Objective: To study the effect of estrogen (E) on the male skeleton in the absence of testosterone (T).

Design: Retrospective analyses of 40 middle-aged transsexuals treated with subcutaneous injections of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist every 4 weeks and oral 17-beta-estradiol-valerat 6 mg/day over two years until reassignment surgery.

Methods: The bone mineral density (BMD) in the femoral neck and lumbar spine (L2-L4) was measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the beginning of cross-sex hormone treatment, after 12 and 24 months, and serum T, E, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), calcitonin (CAL), osteocalcin (OSC), and urinary free deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were measured.

Endocrine alterations in the aging male.

The recent increase in the elderly population, current health trends and awareness of age-related changes in the male endocrine system, have led to discussions about the role of the hormonal changes in the aging process in males. Better prevention and treatment of suboptimal health status and age-related diseases in aging men are based on an improved understanding of aging, particularly of the significance of age-associated hormonal changes. The aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the age dependence of the serum concentrations of the following important hormonal parameters in adult males using the IMMULITE 1 automated assay system (DPC, Los Angeles): testosterone, dehydro-epiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), estradiol (E2), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), lutropin (LH), follitropin (FSH), cortisol, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4) and the growth hormone-dependent parameters insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and 2) to derive the following parameters: calculated free testosterone (cFT), ratio of calculated free testosterone to total testosterone (% cFT) and free androgen index (FAI).