Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Puberty–Whither goest?

2006; Elsevier BV; Volume: 19; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jpag.2006.02.001

1873-4332

Frank M. Biro,

Sexual Differentiation and Disorders

Several studies published over the past decade have addressed the age of onset of puberty in girls. Herman-Giddens, reporting on the PROS study, noted many girls were initiating puberty at ages younger than considered typical. 1 Herman-Giddens M.E. Slora E.J. Wasserman R.C. et al. Secondary sexual characteristics and menses in young girls seen in office practice: a study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network. Pediatrics. 1997; 99: 505 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1237) Google Scholar Subsequent papers by Parent et al 2 Parent A.S. Teilmann G. Juul A. et al. The timing of normal puberty and the age limits of sexual precocity: Variations around the world, secular trends, and changes after migration. Endocr Rev. 2003; 24: 668 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1029) Google Scholar and Herman-Giddens et al, 3 Herman-Giddens M.E. Kaplowitz P.B. Wasserman R. Navigating the recent articles on girls' puberty in Pediatrics: what do we know and where do we go from here?. Pediatrics. 2004; 113: 911 Crossref PubMed Scopus (94) Google Scholar have summarized findings published both in the United States and internationally. The Parent paper noted that the trend toward earlier maturation in Europe has slowed, or, in some cohorts, the age at onset of maturation has increased slightly. The Herman-Giddens paper noted recent secular trends with earlier maturation of girls, especially in breast development. It has been proposed that earlier maturation may be the result of improved health and basic nutrition 3 Herman-Giddens M.E. Kaplowitz P.B. Wasserman R. Navigating the recent articles on girls' puberty in Pediatrics: what do we know and where do we go from here?. Pediatrics. 2004; 113: 911 Crossref PubMed Scopus (94) Google Scholar , 4 De Muinck Keizer-Schrama S.M.P.F. Mul D. Trends in pubertal development in Europe. Hum Reprod Update. 2001; 7: 287 Crossref PubMed Scopus (155) Google Scholar ; greater adiposity and ponderosity in younger children 5 Wattigney W.A. Srinivasan S.R. Chen W. et al. Secular trend of earlier onset of menarche with increasing obesity in black and white girls: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Ethn Dis. 1999; 9: 181 PubMed Google Scholar , 6 Kaplowitz P.B. Slora E.J. Wasserman R.C. et al. Earlier onset of puberty in girls: relation to increased body mass index and race. Pediatrics. 2001; 108: 347 Crossref PubMed Scopus (495) Google Scholar , 7 Wang Y. Is obesity associated with early sexual maturation? A comparison of the association in American boys versus girls. Pediatrics. 2002; 110: 903 Crossref PubMed Scopus (425) Google Scholar , 8 Anderson S.E. Dallal G.E. Must A. Relative weight and race influence average age at menarche: results from two nationally representative surveys of US girls studied 25 years apart. Pediatrics. 2003; 111: 844 Crossref PubMed Scopus (366) Google Scholar , 9 Biro F.M. Huang B. Lucky A.W. et al. Pubertal correlates in Black and White US girls. J Pediatr. 2006; 148: 234 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (132) Google Scholar ; exposure to xenoestrogens (estrogenic chemicals in the environment, 2 Parent A.S. Teilmann G. Juul A. et al. The timing of normal puberty and the age limits of sexual precocity: Variations around the world, secular trends, and changes after migration. Endocr Rev. 2003; 24: 668 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1029) Google Scholar , 10 Den Hond E. Roels H.A. Hoppenbrouwers K. et al. Sexual maturation in relation to polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons: Sharpe and Skakkebaek's hypothesis revisited. Environ Health Perspect. 2002; 110: 771 Crossref PubMed Scopus (181) Google Scholar , 11 Rajapaske N. Silva E. Kortenkamp A. Combining xenoestrogens at levels below individual no-observed-effect concentrations dramatically enhances steroid hormone action. Environ Health Perspect. 2002; 110: 917 Crossref PubMed Scopus (381) Google Scholar including hair care products that contain placental products 12 Zimmerman P.A. Francis G.L. Hormone-containing cosmetics may cause signs of early sexual development. Mil Med. 1995; 160: 628 PubMed Google Scholar ; or interactions of these factors with race and/or genes. 13 Freedman D.S. Kettel Khan L. Serdula M.K. et al. Relation of age at menarche to race, time period, and anthropometric dimensions: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics. 2002; 110: e43 Crossref PubMed Scopus (254) Google Scholar ) A recent study by Sun and colleagues 14 Sun S.S. Schubert C.M. Liang R. et al. Is sexual maturity occurring earlier among US Children?. J Adolesc Health. 2005; 37: 345 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (61) Google Scholar suggests they did not find “persuasive evidence” of earlier maturation when comparing girls of ages 12–18 years in recent national surveys (National Health Examination Survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) conducted between 1966 and 1994. A similar study noted a decrease of 2.3 months in age of menarche when comparing two national surveys approximately ten years apart; when examining the data by race and relative weight, the study noted smaller changes. 15 Anderson S.E. Must A. Interpreting the continued decline in the average age at menarche: results from two nationally representative surveys of US girls studied 10 years apart. J Pediatr. 2005; 147: 753 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (168) Google Scholar Whither goest puberty?