%0 Journal Article
%T Urinary gonadotrophins: a useful non-invasive marker of activation of the hypothalamic pituitary-gonadal axis
%A Jane D Mcneilly
%A Avril Mason
%A Sheila Khanna
%A Peter J Galloway
%A S. Faisal Ahmed
%J International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1687-9856-2012-10
%X Urine samples were collected from 161 healthy school children (76 boys, 85 girls) aged 4¨C19£¿yrs. Height and weight were converted to standard deviation score. Pubertal status, classified by Tanner staging, was determined by self-assessment. Urinary gonadotrophins were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Results were grouped according to pubertal status (pre-pubertal or pubertal).Of the 161 children, 50 were pre-pubertal (28 boys; 22 girls) and 111 were pubertal (48 boys; 63 girls). Overall, urinary gonadotrophins concentrations increased with pubertal maturation. All pre-pubertal children had a low urinary LH:Creatinine ratio. LH:Creatinine ratios were significantly higher in pubertal compared to pre-pubertal boys (p<0.001). In girls, FSH:Creatinine ratios were significantly higher in the pubertal group (p£¿=£¿0.006). However, LH:FSH ratios were a more consistent discriminant between pre-pubertal and pubertal states in both sexes (Boys 0.45 pubertal vs 0.1 pre-pubertal; girls 0.23 pubertal vs 0.06 pre-pubertal).Urinary gonadotrophins analyses could be used as non-invasive integrated measurement of pubertal status which reflects clinical/physical status.
%K Adolescence
%K Assessment
%K FSH
%K LH
%K Puberty
%U http://www.ijpeonline.com/content/2012/1/10/abstract