Peripheral arterial and venous concentrations of various androgens in patients with and without hirsutism.

The mean peripheral arteriovenous difference for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), androstenedione (A), testosterone (T), 5ALPHA-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-P) has been calculated in 7 nonhirsute and 9 hirsute women. No significant difference was found between peripheral artery and vein concentrations for all steroids measured in both groups of women studied. Since steroid concentrations in peripheral arterial samples are not expected to differ from those from ovarian and adrenal arteries, it is concluded that peripheral venous steroid levels adequately represent the steroid concentrations of arterial blood delivered to steroid-producing tissue.