Virilism during pregnancy

We discuss the causes of virilism in pregnancy and the impact of hyperandrogeny on the female foetus. We report a case of virilism in a 28-year-old, gravida 1, para 1 patient with normal pregnancy and review the literature. After conception, the patient had been well until the 18th week of gestation, when she developed signs of virilization; her serum testosterone was markedly elevated. She delivered of a normal male infant at term. After delivery, signs of virilization regressed with normalization of testosterone level but a wide mass of the left ovary that persisted for 8 months. The histological study of the tumor showed luteinized thecoma. Luteomas and hyper-reactio luteinalis were the principal causes of virilism in pregnancy, thecomas are rare.