Female hairiness health warning 女性毛髮過多可能為健康警訊

◎鄭寺音

Excessive hairiness in women is not just a cosmetic problem but is likely to be a sign of an underlying medical condition, say UK doctors in a report.

英國醫生在報告中說，女性過多毛髮並不只會是外表問題，也可能是潛在疾病的跡象。

Five to 15% of women have excess hair, and a hormone disorder is the most likely cause in many cases, they said.

他們說，5%到15%的女性毛髮過多，許多案例中，荷爾蒙失調是最可能的原因。

Women with the problem should not be afraid to seek medical advice, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists report urged.

皇家婦產科醫學院的這份報告敦促，有毛髮過多問題的女性應該勇於尋求醫療建議。

Polycystic ovary syndrome（PCOS）is the cause in 70% to 80% of cases.

這些案例中，70%到80%是多囊性卵巢症候群引發。

Report author, Dr Rebecca Swingler said the condition, known as hirsutism, is distressing and can be particularly upsetting for young women.

報告作者史溫格勒說，這種狀況稱為多毛症，很令人煩惱，對年輕女性來說特別令人心煩。

In addition to PCOS, rarer causes of excessive hairiness include certain tumours and thyroid dysfunction, as well as the use of certain drugs.

除了多囊性卵巢症候群之外，毛髮過多比較少見的原因，包括某些腫瘤、甲狀腺功能異常以及使用某些藥物等。

新聞辭典

excessive：形容詞，指過量的。例句：Excessive exercise can sometimes cause health problems.（有時候過度運動可能造成健康問題。）

underlying：形容詞，潛在的。例句：A woman who had chronic underlying health conditions died earlier this week.（一名有潛在慢性疾病的女性本週稍早過世。）

upsetting：形容詞，讓人難過的。例句：Seeing her again would be an upsetting experience after so many years.（這麼多年後再看到她會讓人難過。）