Women who grow an inordinate amount of facial hair have a condition known as hirsutism, according to the Mayo Clinic. Hirsutism is a generally undesirable condition that can develop when a woman's body produces an overabundance of male hormones called androgens. The Mayo Clinic states that about 50 percent of women with hirsutism have high levels of androgens. This can be due to a number of conditions. Some women simply inherit the tendency for excess facial hair.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
A common condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome (POS) is the most prevalent cause of hirsutism. POS causes sex hormones to become imbalanced. This can result in ovarian cysts, infertility, obesity and unpredictable menstrual cycles. The National Institutes of Health says young women in their 20s and 30s are most often diagnosed with POS. While it appears to be a hereditary condition it's not fully understood why or how hormone cycles are disrupted.
Cushing Syndrome
Cushing syndrome is a condition that develops when your body is exposed to excessive levels of the steroid hormone cortisol. The overproduction of cortisol can be a reaction to stress. High cortisol levels can eventually cause a fluctuation in hormones which may contribute to the growth of unwanted facial hair. Similarly, Cushing syndrome can develop when you take too much cortisol or undergo steroid treatments.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
An inherited condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) causes the irregular production of androgen and cortisol. A woman with CAH produces too much androgen in response to a missing enzyme that stops her body from producing cortisol and aldosterone. It's as though her body is trying to make up for this deficit by overproducing androgen. The end result is an increase in facial hair. The NIH estimates that 1 in approximately 15,000 children are born with CAH.
Medications
Some drugs can cause facial hair in women. These medications include the anti-seizure medication phenytoin; diazoxide, used in the treatment of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar); and danazol, prescribed for endometriosis.
Idiopathic Hirsutism
In some cases a woman may experience excessive facial hair growth without an underlying medical condition or abnormally high androgen levels. When there is no identifiable cause of hirsutism it is referred to as idiopathic hirsutism.
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