Hormonal Changes in Childhood and Puberty

REY RA ; BERGADA I; ROPELATO MG; CAMPO SM

Puberty

Springer International Publishing

Año: 2017; p. 23 - 37

The functional ontogeny of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis has particular features that distinguish it from most organs and systems characterized by functional differentiation in early fetal life and complete maturation reached by birth or infancy. Conversely, the gonadal axis displays an incomplete development in utero and during early postnatal life, followed by a functional quiescence of part of the axis during childhood and full maturation during puberty. Although this ontogeny seems to refl ect exclusively the changes in the activity of the hypothalamicgonadotrope axis, a careful look into gonadal developmental physiology uncovers local distinctive features that are also involved in the resulting ontogeny of the reproductive system. In this chapter, we will address the latest understanding on the regulation of the gonadal axis in males and females during development. We will particularly focus on the concept that childhood is not a period of complete quiescence of the gonads and on the differences observed in gonadal function between the early postnatal activation period?which many authors call ?mini-puberty??and canonical puberty. Finally, we will briefl y discuss the changes observed in other hormonal axes, which are also related to growth and development.