title: Urinary gonadotrophins: a useful non-invasive marker of activation of the hypothalamic pituitary-gonadal axis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-invasive screening investigations are rarely used for assessing the activation and progression of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis through puberty. This study aimed to establish a normal range for urinary gonadotrophins in children progressing through puberty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine samples were collected from 161 healthy school children (76 boys, 85 girls) aged 4-19 yrs. Height and weight were converted to standard deviation score. Pubertal status, classified by Tanner staging, was determined by self-assessment. Urinary gonadotrophins were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Results were grouped according to pubertal status (pre-pubertal or pubertal).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 161 children, 50 were pre-pubertal (28 boys; 22 girls) and 111 were pubertal (48 boys; 63 girls). Overall, urinary gonadotrophins concentrations increased with pubertal maturation. All pre-pubertal children had a low urinary LH:Creatinine ratio. LH:Creatinine ratios were significantly higher in pubertal compared to pre-pubertal boys (p<0.001). In girls, FSH:Creatinine ratios were significantly higher in the pubertal group (p = 0.006). However, LH:FSH ratios were a more consistent discriminant between pre-pubertal and pubertal states in both sexes (Boys 0.45 pubertal vs 0.1 pre-pubertal; girls 0.23 pubertal vs 0.06 pre-pubertal).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urinary gonadotrophins analyses could be used as non-invasive integrated measurement of pubertal status which reflects clinical/physical status.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Endocrinology Research Group, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, UK. Faisal.Ahmed@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jane D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: McNeilly
authors.forename: Avril
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Galloway
authors.forename: S Faisal
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ahmed