Postnatal Developmental Changes in the Pituitary-Ovarian Axis in Preterm and Term Infant Girls

Kuiri-Hänninen, Tanja; Kallio, S.; Seuri, Raija; Tyrväinen, Erja; Liakka, Annikki; Tapanainen, Juha S.; Sankilampi, Ulla; Dunkel, Leo

doi:10.1210/jc.2011-1502

Cited by 166 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In infant boys, the postnatal pituitary activation is associated with testicular testosterone secretion, penile and testicular growth, and an increase in the number of Sertoli and germ cells (Kuiri-Hänninen et al 2011a), and this period is therefore considered to be an important phase in reproductive development in males. In infant girls even though reproductive hormones, especially FSH, exhibit large variations between diverse individuals (Chellakooty et al 2003), circulating FSH concentration transiently increase during postnatal pituitary activation (Beck-Peccoz et al 1991, Kuiri-Hänninen et al 2011b reaching concentrations similar to those observed in periovulatory women. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentrations also increase, peaking a few months after birth (Hagen et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postnatal pituitary and follicular activation: a revisited hypothesis in a sheep model

Torres-Rovira¹,

Succu²,

Pasciu³

et al. 2016

Reproduction

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The importance of postnatal pituitary activation as regards female reproductive development is not yet understood. By taking advantage of the experimental model developed in a previous study, i.e. ewe lambs expressing markedly different ovarian phenotypes at 50 days of age, we designed this study to determine whether differences found in ovarian status during the early prepubertal period are due to different patterns of postnatal pituitary activation, and to assess whether these differences have long lasting effects on subsequent reproductive performance. Results showed that ewe lambs with high antral follicle count (AFC) at 50 days of age had significantly lower plasma FSH concentrations and higher anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentrations during the first 9 weeks of age compared with low AFC ewe lambs (P!0.0001). With a longitudinal experiment we showed that a high AFC in the early prepubertal period is associated with consistently higher AMH concentrations and numbers of antral follicles up to the postpubertal period, and with higher pregnancy rates in the first breeding season. In addition, the effect of age in decreasing AMH concentrations was more marked in the low AFC group. Results of the present study demonstrate that ewe lambs undergo different patterns of postnatal pituitary activation. A high AFC at 50 days of age indicates an advanced phase of ovarian maturation, which was accompanied by constantly higher AMH concentrations up to the postpubertal period, a greater ovarian response to FSH stimulation and by higher pregnancy rates at first mating, as compared with the low AFC group.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postnatal pituitary and follicular activation: a revisited hypothesis in a sheep model

Torres-Rovira¹,

Succu²,

Pasciu³

et al. 2016

Reproduction

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“…Placental hormones are cleared from the circulation of the newborn during the first postnatal days [17,18]. Around 1 week of age, FSH and LH levels start to increase and peak between 1 week and 3 months [17,19,20,21,22]. At this time, FSH levels are higher in girls and LH levels predominate in boys [19,22,23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At this time, FSH levels are higher in girls and LH levels predominate in boys [19,22,23,24]. In boys, LH and FSH levels decrease by 6-9 months of age, but in girls, FSH levels remain elevated longer - up to 3-4 years of life [17,19,20,21]. LH levels decrease at the same time as in boys [17,19,20,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Infancy: Minipuberty

2014

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The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is active in the midgestational foetus but silenced towards term because of the negative feedback effects mediated by the placental hormones. This restraint is removed at birth, leading to reactivation of the axis and an increase in gonadotrophin levels. Gonadotrophin levels are high during the first 3 months of life but decrease towards the age of 6 months except for FSH levels in girls that remain elevated until 3-4 years of age. After this, the HPG axis remains quiescent until puberty. The postnatal gonadotrophin surge results in gonadal activation in both sexes. In boys, testosterone levels rise to a peak at 1-3 months of age and then decline following LH levels. Postnatal HPG axis activation is associated with penile and testicular growth and therefore considered important for the development of male genitalia. In girls, elevated gonadotrophin levels result in the maturation of ovarian follicles and in an increase in oestradiol levels. Biological significance and possible long-term consequences of this minipuberty remain elusive, as do the mechanisms that silence the HPG axis until puberty. However, the first months of life provide a ‘window of opportunity' for functional studies of the HPG axis prior to pubertal development.

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“…Table 3 shows the results of hormone levels in PWS infant girls and compares the levels with normal reference values [24,25,26,28,29] and with levels found in prepubertal PWS girls [11]. Median values and ranges of LH, FSH, estradiol, AMH, and SHBG were within the normal range reported for normal infant girls, while inhibin B was low or undetectable.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Additional reference ranges were obtained from the literature [18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26]. We also compared hormone levels in the PWS infants with levels which we previously published for 27 prepubertal PWS girls, 1-8 years of age, and 17 prepubertal PWS boys, 1-10 years of age [10,11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Minipuberty in Infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Hirsch¹,

Eldar‐Geva

Erlichman

et al. 2014

Horm Res Paediatr

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Background: Minipuberty describes transient activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis occurring during the first few months of life. Hormone levels during minipuberty were described in only a few Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) infant boys and have not been reported in PWS infant girls. Objectives: To measure gonadotropins and gonadal hormones in PWS male and female infants and assess gender-specific patterns of hormone secretion. Methods: Hormone levels in 14 (9 male, 5 female) PWS infants ages 1-3 months were compared with reference ranges for normal infants and in 44 prepubertal PWS children (27 female, 17 male). Results: Compared to prepubertal boys, hormone levels (median and range) for PWS infant boys were increased: LH 2.8 mIU/ml (1.2-6.2), FSH 4.4 mIU/ml (1.0-19.5), testosterone 4.0 nmol/l (3.0-7.0), inhibin B 219 pg/ml (141-325), and AMH 79 ng/ml (45-157). Hormone levels in infant girls were not significantly different from levels in prepubertal girls. LH, inhibin B, and AMH were higher in male infants than in female infants. LH/FSH ratios were 0.56 (0.24-1.77) in boys versus 0.09 (0.04-0.17) in girls (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Hormone levels in PWS infant boys are in the expected minipuberty range. By contrast, reproductive hormones in most PWS infant girls did not differ from levels in prepubertal girls.

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Postnatal Developmental Changes in the Pituitary-Ovarian Axis in Preterm and Term Infant Girls

Abstract: The postnatal FSH surge results in transient ovarian stimulation in term and preterm girls. A delay in ovarian folliculogenesis shown in ovarian ultrasonography and by low serum AMH levels may provide an explanation for the exaggerated FSH surge in NT and PT girls.

Cited by 166 publications

References 39 publications

Postnatal pituitary and follicular activation: a revisited hypothesis in a sheep model

Postnatal pituitary and follicular activation: a revisited hypothesis in a sheep model

Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Infancy: Minipuberty

Characterization of Minipuberty in Infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome

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