Female androgenic alopecia. The 3 alpha,17 beta-androstanediol glucuronide/sex hormone binding globulin ratio as a possible marker for female pattern baldness.

Twenty-five women fulfilling the criteria for female alopecia, of either the male pattern baldness type or female pattern baldness type, were evaluated for hormone markers to delineate the clinical baldness patterns. Women with a marked increase in the 3 alpha,17 beta-androstanediol glucuronide/sex hormone binding globulin ratio and low serum sex hormone binding globulin were noted to have female pattern baldness. This pattern of baldness may represent hair loss from the influence of minimal androgen excess on genetically sensitive hair bulbs in the absence of other signs of maximal androgen excess, including hirsutism, acne, or virilism.