4/8 Delayed Puberty: M and F Flashcards
Overall, what is the level of activity of the HPO axis over various life stages? (fetal, infancy, childhood, puberty, adulthood)?
Fetal life: Onset of FSH/LH secretion and subsequent lowered levels
Infancy: early increase then gradual decline
Childhood: very low activity
Puberty: Re-activation; increased secr of GnRH, FSH, LH; gonadal response
Adulthood: Episodic GnRH, FSH, LH release; negative & pos feedback control
Map out the hormonal control of puberty. what are the main hormones involved? what are the main organs/glands involved?
Hormones: GnRH, FSH/LH, Sex hormones (Test, Est).
Also Leptin from adipocytes.
Glands: Hypothal, Pituitary, Ovaries/Testes, Fat tissue
At puberty, what determines the onset of hormonal secretion?
We know that it is stimulatory CNS influences that start puberty (these stimulatory influences overwhelm the inhibition that has predominated throughout childhood); details not well understood.
Physical signs of male puberty – based on Adrenarche? (3)
- Pubic/axillary hair
- Adult body odor
- Sebaceous gland activity
In males, what is the first sign of gonadal axis activation?
Testicular enlargement
Aside from signs of Adrenarche (adult-pattern body hair, body odor, sebaceous gland activity), what are physical signs of puberty in males?
- Testicular enlargement (initial sign of gonadal axis activation)
- Prostatic enlargement
- Penile enlargement
- Thinning of scrotum
- Accelerated growth
- Skeletal maturation
Review: Tanner states of male genitalia?
Stage 1 - preadolescent
Stage 2 - Enlargement of testes and scrotum (testes 2.7 cm or 4 cc). Thinning and reddening of scrotum
Stage 3 - Enlargement of penis, mainly in length
Stage 4 - Further enlargement of penis in length and breadth; development of the glans
Stage 5 - Adult size and shape
Physical signs of Adrenarche in the female (3)?
- Pubic and axilary hair
- Adult body odor
- Sebaceous gland activity
(same as male adrenarche!)
Aside from adrenarche-related changes, first sign of puberty in female?
Ovarian and uterine enlargement
(first sign, but not most obvious sign…)
Jen – I have thelarche as the first sign of puberty in females…
Physical signs of female puberty that are not related to Adrenarche?
- Ovarian and uterine enlargement
- Breast development
- Maturation of vaginal mucosa
- Vaginal discharge
- Accelerated growth
- Skeletal maturation
Review: Tanner stages of pubic hair in girls?
Stage 1 - no pubic hair
Stage 2 - Sparse growth of long, slightly pigmented, straight downy hair
Stage 3 - Hair is darker, coarser, curlier, and spreads over the pubis
Stage 4 - Hair is adult in type but less in quantity
Stage 5 - Hair is adult in type and quantity, in an inverted triangle.
For girls, what is the definition of delayed puberty?
Breast development after age 13
Menarche after 15.5
For boys, what is the definition of delayed puberty?
Testicular enlargement after age 13.5
What do we see on xray of kids/adolescents that correlates well with pubertal staging?
Bone age correlates quite well with pubertal staging
Define constitutional delay
Is it more common in females or males?
Kids who go through puberty, but are at least 2.5 SD delayed from the mean.
True “late bloomers” with no identifiable etiology
Diagnosis of exclusion.
More common in males (see bar graphs)
Define Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
(aka SECONDARY or CENTRAL hypogonadism)
Cause of delayed puberty due to hypothalamic or pituitary defect
–> yields low levels of GnRH or FSH/LH secretion.
Various types: permanent v functional
Very generally, what could cause permanent hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism?
(This type of pubertal delay is due to hypothalamic or pituitary defect -> prevents normal GnRH or FSH/LH secretion)
Could be a tumor that destroyed the pituitary gland.
What could cause functional hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism? (three categories)
(This type of pubertal delay is due to hypothalamic or pituitary defect -> prevents normal GnRH or FSH/LH secretion)
Stressors: Exercise, weight loss, chronic illness, anorexia nervosa, bulimia
Endocrine disorders (prevent normal axis maturation: Hypothyroidism, Cushing’s
Systemic Illness: IBD, Celiac Dz
Define hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism
(aka PRIMARY or PERIPHERAL hypogonadism)
Cause of delayed puberty due to failure of ovaries or testes
–> yields high levels of GnRH or FSH/LH secretion
–>because no negative feedback from estrogen/testosterone