title: Hormonal 'minipuberty' influences the somatic development of boys but not of girls up to the age of 6 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hormonal 'minipuberty' refers to a transient sex-specific surge of LH, FSH, testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in the first few months of life. We hypothesized a potential long-term effect of this hormonal surge on somatic parameters in the following years and therefore designed this longitudinal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the potential influence of hormone concentrations during minipuberty on anthropometric measurements conducted in the first 6 years of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five healthy babies (17 male, 18 female) were the participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Testosterone, E2, SHBG, LH and FSH were measured at the ages of four, eight and 20 weeks. Anthropometric measurements were taken eight times in the first 12 months, then every 6 months up to the age of 6 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant negative effect was found in boys between testosterone and LH levels at 8 weeks and body weight up to the age of 6 years and BMI up to 6 years (LH) and 3 years (T), respectively. A further negative effect was found between E2 levels at the age of 20 weeks and body weight as well as body length in the years that followed. A positive effect was observed between E2 at the age of 4 weeks and skinfold thickness up to the age of 6 years in boys. No significant effects were found in girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings seem to reflect an up to now unknown long-term influence of the physiological early hormonal surge on the subsequent male but not female somatic development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Charité University Children's Hospital, Berlin, Germany.|German Center for Growth, Development, and Health Encouragement during Childhood and Youth ('DeuZ-W.E.G.'), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Medicine, Sana Klinikum Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oehler
authors.affiliation: Endokrinologikum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Carl-Joachim
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Partsch
authors.affiliation: German Center for Growth, Development, and Health Encouragement during Childhood and Youth ('DeuZ-W.E.G.'), Berlin, Germany.|Department of Paediatrics, Sana Klinikum Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ulmen
authors.affiliation: German Center for Growth, Development, and Health Encouragement during Childhood and Youth ('DeuZ-W.E.G.'), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmutzler
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Informatics, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cammann
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Charité University Children's Hospital, Berlin, Germany.|German Center for Growth, Development, and Health Encouragement during Childhood and Youth ('DeuZ-W.E.G.'), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hesse
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000254:growth & development*; D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006065:Gonadotropins, Pituitary / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006065:Gonadotropins, Pituitary