Virilization

Virilization is when females or children develop adult male traits. Those traits can include extra facial hair, balding, acne, and a deeper voice.

• Virilization is caused by high levels of male hormones

• Abnormally large adrenal glands or a tumor in your adrenal glands usually causes virilization

• Doctors treat virilization using surgery to remove any tumor and medicine to lower hormone levels

Females normally have small amounts of male hormones. These male hormones are made in the adrenal glands.

You have 2 adrenal glands, 1 above each kidney. The adrenal glands release several different hormones that help control your blood pressure, heart rate, balance of water and salt, response to stress, and some male-type sex features.

The Adrenal Glands

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Adrenal gland problems that can cause virilization include:

• Abnormally large adrenal glands

• A cancerous or noncancerous tumor in your adrenal glands

• A problem with your adrenal glands that you’re born with

Virilization can also be caused when females take anabolic steroids to build muscle.

People with virilization have physical changes including:

• Extra hair on your face and body

• Baldness

• Acne

• Deepening of the voice

• More muscle

• Increased sex drive

In females, physical changes include:

• Uterus shrinks

• Clitoris enlarges

• Breasts get smaller

• Menstruation stops

In males, the excess adrenal hormones may suppress the function of the testes and cause infertility.

In children with virilization, growth may happen faster and end sooner than normal. Virilization before puberty may result in being short as an adult. Female babies may have genitals that resemble those of baby boys. Young males may sexually mature too early.

Doctors will do:

• Blood tests

• Computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Doctors will:

• Do surgery to remove any tumors

If your adrenal glands are just overactive, taking steroids (sometimes also called glucocorticoids or corticosteroids) sometimes lowers the amount of male hormones your adrenal glands make.