hormonal and metabolic disorders
Virilization
Diagnosis of Virilization
Measurement of levels of androgens in the blood The combination of body changes makes virilization relatively easy for doctors to recognize. Tests can determine the level of androgens in the blood and, if they are high, whether they are likely coming from the sex organs or the adrenal glands. When the level of adrenal androgens is very high, some centers use adexamethasonesuppression test to help determine whether the problem is an adenoma or adrenal hyperplasia. If the problem is adrenal hyperplasia, giving the drugdexamethasoneprevents the adrenal glands from producing androgens. If the problem is an adenoma or cancer,dexamethasonereduces androgen production only partially or not at all. Doctors may do computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain a view of the adrenal glands. 