The Use of Oestrogen/Progestogen Preparations in the Treatment of Hirsutism in the Female

Summary The effects of long‐term treatment with oestrogen/progestogen preparations were assessed in 16 patients presenting with hirsutism but without virilism; these comprised 12 patients with “idiopathic” hirsutism, one of whom had amenorrhoea due to pituitary gonadotrophin deficiency, and four patients with the Stein‐Leventhal syndrome. Regression of hair growth was observed only in those with normal ovaries and elevated urinary excretion of 17‐oxosteroids. Patients who responded favourably to a preparation with a high oestrogen content failed to do so when a low oestrogen preparation was substituted.