Description:
<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Objective</jats:title><jats:p>Hormonal ‘minipuberty’ refers to a transient sex‐specific surge of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">LH</jats:styled-content>,<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"> FSH</jats:styled-content>, 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.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design</jats:title><jats:p>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.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Patients</jats:title><jats:p>Thirty‐five healthy babies (17 male, 18 female) were the participants.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Measurements</jats:title><jats:p>Testosterone, E2, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">SHBG</jats:styled-content>,<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"> LH</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">FSH</jats:styled-content> 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.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>A significant negative effect was found in boys between testosterone and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">LH</jats:styled-content> levels at 8 weeks and body weight up to the age of 6 years and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content> up to 6 years (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">LH</jats:styled-content>) 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.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>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.</jats:p></jats:sec>