Center for Population Health and the Environment, University of California at Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011 Sep;38(3):467-75. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2011.06.001.
The concept that adrenal androgen production gradually declines with age has changed after analysis of longitudinal data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). It is now recognized that 4 adrenal androgens rise during the menopausal transition in most women. Ethnic and individual differences in sex steroids are more apparent in circulating adrenal steroids than in either estradiol or cyclic ovarian steroid hormone profiles, particularly during the early and late perimenopause. Thus, adrenal steroid production may play a larger role in the occurrence of symptoms and the potential for healthier aging than previously recognized.
在对全国妇女健康研究（SWAN）的纵向数据进行分析后，人们对于“随着年龄的增长，肾上腺雄激素的产生逐渐减少”这一概念有了新的认识。现在人们认识到，在大多数女性的绝经过渡期间，有 4 种肾上腺雄激素会上升。与雌二醇或循环卵巢类固醇激素图谱相比，性激素在循环肾上腺类固醇中的种族和个体差异更为明显，尤其是在绝经前和绝经后期。因此，肾上腺类固醇的产生可能比以前认为的对症状的发生和更健康的衰老的潜力发挥更大的作用。
