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Disorders of Puberty

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Pediatric Endocrinology

Abstract

Puberty should not be considered as a single event but rather as one part of the continuum of reproductive function process in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis begins to develop during fetal life, which continues through the infantile stage to maturity and ends in senescence. Between 50 and 80% of pubertal timing is determined by genetic factors, but environmental factors can exert a powerful influence to alter this process. The increasing prevalence of obesity has been one factor postulated to decrease the age of pubertal development and menarche in recent years. Abnormalities in the age of onset of puberty can be due to disparate factors including individual variation, mutations in genes controlling the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, or the presence of a CNS neoplasm. Early onset as well as delay of the onset of puberty must be taken seriously by the provider as it might indicate a serious pathologic process.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Dennis M. Styne

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Correspondence to Dennis M. Styne .

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Styne, D.M. (2023). Disorders of Puberty. In: Pediatric Endocrinology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09512-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09512-2_9

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