Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 40, 545-551, Copyright © 1975 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Pituitary-gonadal relations in infancy. I. Patterns of serum gonadotropin concentrations from birth to four years of age in man and chimpanzee

JS Winter, C Faiman, WC Hobson, AV Prasad and FI Reyes

Mixed cord sera (27 male, 28 female) and sera from 105 male and 93 female children aged 5 days to 4 yr were assayed for FSH, LH and hCG. Cord hCG was similar in both sexes (median 58 mIU/ml; range 20-9000), and fell to less than 5 mIU/ml by 5 days of life, a value which is below the limit of detectable cross reactivity in the LH radioimmunoassay. Cord FSH was less than 5.5 mug LER-907/100 ml in both sexes. In boys there was a rapid rise of FSH in early postnatal life, with peak levels up to 55 mug/100 ml between 1 week and 3 months, followed by a decline by 4 months reaching the low values seen in older prepubertal subjects. This postnatal FSH rise was both more marked in females with peak values at 2-3 months up to 169 mug/100 ml, and also more sustained with levels staying above those of older prepubertal children until 4 yr of age. Serum LH levels in the boys were in the adolescent range by 1 week of age, peaked at 1 month and then declined to the usual childhood range by 4 months. A similar pattern, though with lower peak LH values, was seen in the female infants. A longitudinal study of serum FSH and LH values in one male and one female chimpanzee from 17 to 456 days of age showed patterns in serum gonadotropins which paralleled those seen in the human cross-sectional study.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E.A.M. Kuijper, J. van Kooten, J.I.M.L. Verbeke, M. van Rooijen, and C.B. Lambalk Ultrasonographically measured testicular volumes in 0- to 6-year-old boys Hum. Reprod., April 1, 2008; 23(4): 792 - 796. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. A. van Tijn, E. J. Schroor, H. A. Delemarre-van de Waal, J. J. M. de Vijlder, and T. Vulsma Early Assessment of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Function in Patients with Congenital Hypothyroidism of Central Origin J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2007; 92(1): 104 - 109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Bergada, C. Milani, P. Bedecarras, L. Andreone, M. G. Ropelato, S. Gottlieb, C. Bergada, S. Campo, and R. A. Rey Time Course of the Serum Gonadotropin Surge, Inhibins, and Anti-Mullerian Hormone in Normal Newborn Males during the First Month of Life J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2006; 91(10): 4092 - 4098. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.-M. Suomi, K. M. Main, M. Kaleva, I. M. Schmidt, M. Chellakooty, H. E. Virtanen, K. A. Boisen, I. N. Damgaard, C. M. Kai, N. E. Skakkebaek, et al. Hormonal Changes in 3-Month-Old Cryptorchid Boys J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2006; 91(3): 953 - 958. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R.M. Sharpe, H.M. Fraser, M.F.H. Brougham, C. McKinnell, K.D. Morris, C.J.H. Kelnar, W.H.B. Wallace, and M. Walker Role of the neonatal period of pituitary-testicular activity in germ cell proliferation and differentiation in the primate testis Hum. Reprod., October 1, 2003; 18(10): 2110 - 2117. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. M. Lee Reproductive Hormones in Infant Girls--a Harbinger of Adult Reproductive Function? J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2003; 88(8): 3513 - 3514. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Chellakooty, I. M. Schmidt, A. M. Haavisto, K. A. Boisen, I. N. Damgaard, C. Mau, J. H. Petersen, A. Juul, N. E. Skakkebaek, and K. M. Main Inhibin A, Inhibin B, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, Estradiol, and Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin Levels in 473 Healthy Infant Girls J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2003; 88(8): 3515 - 3520. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Sharpe, B. Martin, K. Morris, I. Greig, C. McKinnell, A. S. McNeilly, and M. Walker Infant feeding with soy formula milk: effects on the testis and on blood testosterone levels in marmoset monkeys during the period of neonatal testicular activity Hum. Reprod., July 1, 2002; 17(7): 1692 - 1703. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Quigley The Postnatal Gonadotropin and Sex Steroid Surge--Insights from the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2002; 87(1): 24 - 28. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Bouvattier, J.-C. Carel, C. Lecointre, A. David, C. Sultan, A.-M. Bertrand, Y. Morel, and J.-L. Chaussain Postnatal Changes of T, LH, and FSH in 46,XY Infants with Mutations in the AR Gene J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2002; 87(1): 29 - 32. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Terasawa and D. L. Fernandez Neurobiological Mechanisms of the Onset of Puberty in Primates Endocr. Rev., February 1, 2001; 22(1): 111 - 151. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. M. Main, I. M. Schmidt, and N. E. Skakkebæk A Possible Role for Reproductive Hormones in Newborn Boys: Progressive Hypogonadism without the Postnatal Testosterone Peak J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2000; 85(12): 4905 - 4907. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H.N. Lim, H. Chen, S. McBride, A.M. Dunning, R.M. Nixon, I.A. Hughes, and J.R. Hawkins Longer polyglutamine tracts in the androgen receptor are associated with moderate to severe undermasculinized genitalia in XY males Hum. Mol. Genet., March 22, 2000; 9(5): 829 - 834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Walters, R. Storb, M. Patience, W. Leisenring, T. Taylor, J. E. Sanders, G. E. Buchanan, Z. R. Rogers, P. Dinndorf, S. C. Davies, et al. Impact of bone marrow transplantation for symptomatic sickle cell disease: an interim report Blood, March 15, 2000; 95(6): 1918 - 1924. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. Winters and T. M. Plant Partial Characterization of Circulating Inhibin-B and Pro-{alpha}C During Development in the Male Rhesus Monkey Endocrinology, December 1, 1999; 140(12): 5497 - 5504. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S F Ahmed, A Cheng, and I A Hughes Assessment of the gonadotrophin-gonadal axis in androgen insensitivity syndrome Arch. Dis. Child., April 1, 1999; 80(4): 324 - 329. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. B. Seminara, F. J. Hayes, and W. F. Crowley Jr. Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Deficiency in the Human (Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism and Kallmann's Syndrome): Pathophysiological and Genetic Considerations Endocr. Rev., October 1, 1998; 19(5): 521 - 539. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				W. Byrd, M. J. Bennett, B. R. Carr, Y. Dong, F. Wians, and W. Rainey Regulation of Biologically Active Dimeric Inhibin A and B From Infancy to Adulthood in the Male J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 1998; 83(8): 2849 - 2854. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A.-M. Andersson, J. Toppari, A.-M. Haavisto, J. H. Petersen, T. Simell, O. Simell, and N. E. Skakkebæk Longitudinal Reproductive Hormone Profiles in Infants: Peak of Inhibin B Levels in Infant Boys Exceeds Levels in Adult Men J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 1998; 83(2): 675 - 681. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D. R. Mann, M. A. Akinbami, K. Wallen, K. G. Gould, N. P. Groome, I. Swanston, A. S. McNeilly, and H. M. Fraser Inhibin-B in the Male Rhesus Monkey: Impact of Neonatal Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist Treatment and Sexual Development J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 1997; 82(6): 1928 - 1933. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T Baram, Y Koch, E Hazum, and M Fridkin Gonadotropin-releasing hormone in milk Science, October 21, 1977; 198(4314): 300 - 302. [Abstract] [PDF]