dihydrotestosterone

noun

di·​hy·​dro·​tes·​tos·​ter·​one (ˌ)dī-ˌhī-drō-te-ˈstä-stə-ˌrōn 

: a biologically active metabolite C₁₉H₃₀O₂ of testosterone having similar androgenic activity

Examples of dihydrotestosterone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, there was one study done where a college-age group of rugby players experienced hair loss following a 3-week creatine supplement regimen, though it was believed that this hair loss was actually caused by an increase in the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) within the players’ bodies. —Douglas Maroney, Discover Magazine, 7 Jan. 2024

These drugs prevent testosterone from turning into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to prostate cancer at higher levels.5 Is There Medication to Prevent Breast Cancer? —Anisa Arsenault, Verywell Health, 22 Mar. 2024

That’s because hair loss often isn’t the result of a lack of nutrients to the hair follicles but rather a matter of hormones; in the case of genetic hair loss, for instance, the follicles are sensitive to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. —Deanna Pai, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024

Also known as dihydrotestosterone, DHT is a hormone that’s produced by both men and women and can play a role in a type of hair loss known as androgenetic alopecia (which is more common in men but can also occur in women). —Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2024

Saw Palmetto may help to inhibit the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that contributes to the enlargement of the prostate gland. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2023

Finasteride belongs to a class of drugs called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors that block the conversion of testosterone into the more bioactive form of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). —Elizabeth Boskey, Verywell Health, 5 June 2023

First approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992, Proscar is a 5a-reductase inhibitor that blocks the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone.1 A potent androgen (male hormone), dihydrotestosterone can promote prostate growth, causing BPH. —Matthew Schmitz, Verywell Health, 11 May 2023

This can be due to changing levels of hormones, including less testosterone production or an accumulation of dihydrotestosterone. —Suzannah Weiss, Men's Health, 31 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dihydrotestosterone

noun

di·​hy·​dro·​tes·​tos·​ter·​one -te-ˈstäs-tə-ˌrōn 

: a biologically active metabolite C₁₉H₃₀O₂ of testosterone having similar androgenic activity and produced in various tissues (as of the skin and prostate)

—abbreviation DHT