Prepubertal urinary estrogen excretion and its relationship with pubertal timing

Abstract

Whether prepubertal estrogen production impacts on the timing of puberty is not clear. We aimed to investigate prepubertal 24-h estrogen excretion levels and their association with early and late pubertal markers. Daily urinary excretion rates of estrogens of 132 healthy children, who provided 24-h urine samples 1 and 2 yr before the start of the pubertal growth spurt [age at takeoff (ATO)], were quantified by stable isotope dilution/GC-MS. E-sum3 (estrone + estradiol + estriol) was used as a marker for potentially bioactive estrogen metabolites and E-sum5 (E-sum3 + 16-epiestriol + 16-ketoestradiol) for total estrogen production. Pubertal outcomes were ATO, age at peak height velocity (APHV), duration of pubertal growth acceleration (APHV-ATO), age at Tanner stage 2 for pubic hair (PH2), genital (G2, boys) and breast (B2, girls) development, and age at menarche. Prepubertal urinary estrogen excretions (E-sum3 and E-sum5) were not associated with ATO, APHV, and age at PH2 but with duration of pubertal growth acceleration (P < 0.01) in both sexes. Girls with higher E-sum3 reached B2 0.9 yr (P = 0.04) and menarche 0.3 yr earlier (P = 0.04) than girls with lower E-sum3. E-sum3 was not associated with age at G2 in boys (P = 0.6). For most pubertal variables, the associations with E-sum3 were stronger than with E-sum5. In conclusion, prepubertal estrogens may not be critical for the onset of the pubertal growth spurt but are correlated with its duration in both boys and girls. Prepubertal estrogen levels may already predict the timing of girls' menstruation and breast development but do not appear to affect sexual maturation in boys.

Hippuric Acid in 24-Hour Urine Collections Is a Potential Biomarker for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Healthy Children and Adolescents,

“…For all urine samples, uN and uK measurements had to be available as major selection criteria. The different age ranges for female and male adolescents were chosen to account for the earlier puberty onset in girls (24). Because of possibly incomplete collection, urine samples with a 24-h creatinine excretion rate ,0.1 mmol/ (kg body weight × d) (22) were excluded.…”

Ultrasensitive estrogen levels at 7 years of age predict earlier thelarche: evidence from girls of the growth and obesity Chilean cohort

“…A longitudinal study in girls revealed that urinary estrogen levels 1 or 2 years prior to the pubertal growth spurt predicted earlier thelarche and menarche (0.9 and 0.3 years respectively) (6). Additionally, insulin and insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF1) could also modify breast development by promoting breast cell division as it has been observed in adults (7,8,9).…”

Hormonal regulation of the cytokine microenvironment in the mammary gland

“…Circulating oestrogens are elevated in young women with early menarche (Shi et al, 2010) and this early exposure to oestrogen may be responsible for the increased risk of breast cancer in women with early menarche over and above the increased risk associated with menstrual cycling (Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer, 2012). Fluctuating ovarian hormones presumably create a pro-tumourigenic environment in the mammary gland that, over time, increases the risk of cancer.…”