How do you initiate oestrogen therapy in a girl who has not undergone puberty?
The physiology of puberty needs to be taken into consideration in the induction of puberty. Puberty is a relatively slow process and replacement therapy should mimic this. Long-term maintenance requires careful monitoring and long-term assessment of risk-benefit. This has not been appreciably defined in the adolescent population. Options for fertility need careful consideration and may depend on the adequacy of pubertal induction in terms of uterine development. A number of regimens are available for pubertal induction but the lack of comparisons makes it difficult to advocate for a particular regimen. There remain a number of areas of uncertainty, and future studies need to consider these issues and whether there are cardiovascular risk factor advantages to certain preparations. The long-term risks of breast and gynaecological malignancy remain uncertain. Long-term cohort studies are required to address these issues.
Hindmarsh
Peter C
PC
Developmental Endocrinology Research Group, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK. p.hindmarsh@ucl.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011628:Puberty, Delayed / Q000188:drug therapy*
D004967:Estrogens