hrp0082p1-d1-184 | Perinatal and Neonatal Endocrinology | ESPE2014

Very Low Birth Weight <1500 g is Associated with Reduced Sex-Typical Behaviour in Childhood

Sankilampi Ulla , Hines Melissa , Lamminmaki Annamarja

Objective: Low birth weight and prematurity are linked to various behavioural outcomes. In addition, preterm (PT) infants show altered maturation of pituitary–gonadal axis, as demonstrated by its pronounced transient activation during the first postnatal months. Given that gonadal steroid hormones shape the basic processes of neural and behavioural sexual differentiation these elevated sex steroids in premature infants might affect the developing brain and alter subsequen...

hrp0082p2-d1-572 | Sex Development | ESPE2014

Anogenital Distance, Penis Growth, and Masculine Behaviour Evidence for Independent Neurobehavioral Effects of Foetal Versus Postnatal Androgen Exposure in Boys

Pasterski Vickie , Acerini Carlo , Dunger David , Ong Ken , Hughes Ieuan , Thankamony Ajay , Hines Melissa

Background: Associations between foetal androgen deficiency and variations in anogenital distance (AGD) suggest that AGD is a reliable indicator of foetal androgen exposure. Similarly, variation in postnatal penis growth associated with variations in testosterone show penis growth to be a potential biomarker of early postnatal androgen exposure. Though variation in early androgen exposure is also hypothesized to underlie neurobehavioral masculinisation, until now, no reports h...