Testosterone free index correlates best with dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.

ABSTRACT

Correlation coefficients for dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were determined in women on menotropin. DHEAS was significantly correlated with testosterone free index (TFI), 0.78**; percentage free testosterone (%FT), 0.66**; androstenedione (delta 4A), 0.66*; luteinizing hormone (LH), 0.55**; LH/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, 0.55**; 17-OH-progesterone (17-P), 0.55**; testosterone (T), 0.53**; weight (WT), 0.40**, urinary estriol glucuronide (E3G), 0.33*; and free cortisol index (FFI), 0.32*, with 43 df but not with prolactin (PRL), 0.25. Normal male DHEAS (3.5 +/- 1.2, 25) (microgram/ml; mean +/- standard deviation, n) was higher than normal female DHEAS (2.4 +/- 1.1, 27), P less than 0.01 and DHEAS in women on oral contraceptives (1.9 +/- 1.1, 17) was slightly lower than in normal females, P greater than 0.2. In the combined population (male, female, and females on oral contraceptives) DHEAS was correlated with TFI (0.56**), T (0.54**), %FT (0.52**), delta 4A (0.40**), and age (-0.40**) with 66 df and 17-P (0.30*) with 54 df. TFI appears to be one determinant of plasma DHEAS, **P less than 0.01. *P less than 0.05.