To Örebro University

Many women suffer from excessive hair growth, often in combination with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is unclear how hirsutism influences such women's experiences of their bodies. Our aim is to describe and interpret women's experiences of their bodies when living with hirsutism. Interviews were conducted with 10 women with hirsutism. We used a qualitative latent content analysis. Four closely intertwined themes were disclosed: the body was experienced as a yoke, a freak, a disgrace, and as a prison. Hirsutism deeply affects women's experiences of their bodies in a negative way.

The aim of the study was to describe how women with hirsutism experience their relationship with health care. Data were collected by tape-recorded individual interviews, which were analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the relationship with health care, from the perspective of patients with hirsutism, is suboptimal.

Background: Hirsutism has a negative impact on women’s quality of life. The relation between quality of life, anxiety, depression and the level of hairiness has not been described.

Aims: To investigate the correlations between the levels of hairiness, quality of life, anxiety and depression. Methods: 200 patients from Malmö, Örebro and Uppsala, who had been in contact with the clinics for problems with excessive hair growth, were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic questions, EQ- 5D index score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Ferriman- Gallwey scale (F-G); of these, 127 women participated in the study.

Results: The mean values were: EQ-5D index 0.73 (SD = 0.27), EQ visual analogue scale 61.0 (SD = 22.6), HADSanxiety 9.5 ± 5.3 and HADS-depression 6.5 ± 4.6. The mean DLQI was 11.8 ± 8.4, indicating a very large effect on patients’ lives. All were significantly correlated with the amount of hairiness.  

Conclusions: Higher levels of hair growth were significantly correlated with a lower level of quality of life and symptoms of both anxiety and depression.

Background: Hirsutism has a negative impact on women’s quality of life. The relation between quality of life, anxiety, depression and the level of hairiness has not been described.

Aims: To investigate the correlations between the levels of hairiness, quality of life, anxiety and depression. Methods: 200 patients from Malmö, Örebro and Uppsala, who had been in contact with the clinics for problems with excessive hair growth, were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic questions, EQ- 5D index score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Ferriman- Gallwey scale (F-G); of these, 127 women participated in the study.

Results: The mean values were: EQ-5D index 0.73 (SD = 0.27), EQ visual analogue scale 61.0 (SD = 22.6), HADSanxiety 9.5 ± 5.3 and HADS-depression 6.5 ± 4.6. The mean DLQI was 11.8 ± 8.4, indicating a very large effect on patients’ lives. All were significantly correlated with the amount of hairiness.  

Conclusions: Higher levels of hair growth were significantly correlated with a lower level of quality of life and symptoms of both anxiety and depression.