ESPE Abstracts

Background: In minipuberty, the male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently activated triggering a surge in reproductive hormones causing growth of the genitalia. Longitudinal individual growth of the infant penis during minipuberty and associations to the HPG axis and IGF-I have not been thoroughly assessed.Aim: To describe the development of penile length and width as well as their relation to serum c...

Background: The circulating steroid metabolome in boys undergoes significant changes during infancy reflecting functional and structural rearrangements of the adrenal glands as well as the transient activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, also called minipuberty. Studies investigating the serum steroid metabolome dynamics during infancy in a longitudinal manner are however sparse.Objective: We ai...

Background: The anogenital distance (AGD) is a well-known measure in rodents used to distinguish male and female pubs. Likewise, AGD display sex-specific differences in humans. It is considered a postnatal readout of early androgen exposure in fetal life. Thus, in postnatal life AGD is longer in boys than in girls, reduced in infants born with cryptorchidism and hypospadias as well as in boys exposed to anti-androgenic agents in fetal life. However, little is ...

Background: Growth in infancy is considered primarily to be regulated by nutrition and insulin, whereas less is known about the influence of IGF-I, reproductive hormones and other factors of importance. Recently, paternally inherited genetic defects of DLK1 (Delta-like 1 homolog) were found in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) with a metabolic phenotype. In addition, low maternal serum DLK1 concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant women wh...

Background: Linear growth during spontaneous puberty contributes approximately 20% to adult height in healthy subjects. The impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) on final height in transgender adolescents is sparsely studied.Aim: We aimed to investigate the growth and final height of Danish transgender adolescents.Methods: Our national cohort of transgender adolescents ...

Background: Previous descriptions of the steroidogenic capacity of human foetal adrenal glands in an ex vivo culture system focused on the classic androgen pathway and the alternative DHT pathway. However, no information is available on the abundance and role of the adrenal-derived 11-oxygenated androgens during foetal development, and how their levels correlate to classic androgens.Aim: To characterise the ster...

Introduction: Klinefelter syndrome (KS, 47XXY) is the most frequent sex chromosome abnormality in males (prevalence 1/667), with tall stature as one of the key characteristics. We aimed to analyse growth patterns during different growth phases and adult height in KS using the QEPS-model.Methods: Longitudinal growth-data from 35 boys with KS followed at a tertiary Danish center for paediatric endocrinology were compared w...

Introduction: Idiopathic short stature (ISS) is characterized by a reduced height (at least 2 standard deviation scores [SDS]) from expected norms based on age, sex, and population-specific height standards in the absence of growth hormone (GH) deficiency or other known etiologies. ISS is a registered indication for GH therapy in USA but not in Europe. The psychosocial burden of ISS remains underexplored, including its impact on quality of life. Using National...

Background: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by granulosa cells in small follicles prior to gonadotropin dependent growth and serum levels reflect the number of small antral follicles. There are currently no longitudinal data of individual AMH levels from infancy to adolescence.Aim: To evaluate whether AMH in infancy and childhood is associated with AMH levels and ovarian morphology peripubertal and in adole...

Background: The male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently active during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. This period, termed minipuberty, promotes masculinization, including testicular, and penile growth, as well as further testicular descent in males. It appears to be essential for priming specific cell types, i.e. Sertoli-, Leydig-, and germ cells, including subsequent growth and maturat...