Puberty and adrenarche in small-for-gestational-age children

Most children born small for gestational age (SGA) have a normal adrenarche and pubarche and a normal timing of pubertal development. Onset of puberty occurs at a normal age, but relatively early within the normal range and in some children unexpectedly early for their short stature. Some studies indicated that SGA boys and girls have a slightly reduced pubertal growth spurt, which leads to a shorter adult stature. In Northern Spanish girls an association was found between precocious pubarche, hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, polycystic ovaries syndrome and lower birth weight, but this could not be confirmed by several studies in children born SGA. Differences in ethnic background, nutrition, different definitions and other yet unknown variables may play a role in the reported variations in timing of adrenarche and puberty. Copyright

• View at Publisher
• View at Scopus