Delayed Puberty
Delayed Puberty Introduction Puberty is the time in life when a young person starts to become sexually mature, both physically and emotionally (“When Your Child,” 1999, p. ... The primary hormones responsible for triggering the onset of puberty are estrogens, such as progesterone, in girls and androgens, such as testosterone, in boys. There are many obvious signs of puberty as sexual development usually follows a typical pattern. ... The fears and confusion that are associated with this inevitable period multiply when the process is abnormal, or delayed. This paper will address the issue of delayed puberty. It will first introduce the many causes of delayed puberty then mention the current tests associated with it. ... It will also investigate the role of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, in delayed puberty. Finally, it will address the specific cases of delayed puberty in those adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Body “If the initial physical changes of puberty are not present by age 13 in girls or age 14 in boys, evaluation should be considered for possible causes for the lack of development . ... [or] evaluation may be indicated if more than 5 years have elapsed between the first signs of puberty and menarche in girls or the completion of genital growth in boys” (Saenger & Sandberg, 1998, p. ... Delayed puberty does run in families, but other causes exist. ... Azooz, Ballinger, and Farthing (1999) contributed that “delayed puberty occurs in 20-30% of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is thought to occur secondary to malnutrition” (p. ... The three most prominent causes of delayed puberty are constitutional delay, obesity, and hormone growth deficiency (Sadovsky, 1999, p. ... Gill, Hall, Tillmann, and Clayton (1999) give credit to constitutional delay in growth and puberty (CDGP) as “the commonest of human growth disorders, being considered an extreme variant of normal physical development” (p271). ... After a physical exam, a doctor may order a series of tests for a young person showing signs of puberty variation. ... The majority of children simply experience a variation of normal puberty, as a cause is not identified nor is treatment needed (“When Your Child,” 1999).