Serum Steroids And Pituitary Hormones In Female Puberty: A Partly Longitudinal Study
February 1980
in “
Clinical Endocrinology
”
TLDR During puberty, hormone levels rise, with early increases in some steroids and most menstrual cycles becoming regular by six years after menarche.
The study investigated pubertal development in 200 normal girls aged 7-17 years, examining changes in serum steroids and pituitary hormones over time. It found that serum dehydroepiandrosterone and pregnenolone levels increased earliest, starting at age 7.5, while oestradiol, testosterone, and androstenedione levels rose rapidly from age 9.5, coinciding with early puberty signs. Menarche occurred around age 13.5, followed by a plateau and a subsequent increase in steroid levels up to ages 17.5-18.5. The study also noted that 80% of menstrual cycles were anovulatory in the first year post-menarche, decreasing to 10% by the sixth year, with anovulatory cycles showing higher testosterone, androstenedione, and LH levels, resembling patterns seen in polycystic ovary syndrome.
