Variations in the Pattern of Pubertal Changes in Boys

Abstract

. (1970), Archives of Disease in Childhood, 45, 13. Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Mixed longitudinal data on the physical changes at puberty in 228 normal boys are presented together with normal standards for stages of genital and pubic hair development.The genitalia began to develop between the ages 91 years and 131 years in 95% of boys (mean = 11 -6 ± 0 09) and reached maturity at ages varying between 13 and 17 (mean = 14-9 ± 1 10). The age at which pubic hair first appeared was not accurately determined, but its development through the later stages was studied. It reached the equivalent of an adult female distribution at a mean age of 15'2 ± 0-01 years.On average the genitalia reached the adult stage 3 * 0 years after they first began to develop; but some boys completed this development in as little as 1 * 8 years while others took as much as 4 * 7 years. Some boys complete the whole process in less time than others take to go from Stage G2 to Stage G3. The genitalia begin to develop before pubic hair is visible in photographs in practically all boys.The 41 boys in whom it could be studied reached their maximum rate of growth (peak height velocity) at a mean age of 14i 1 ± 0 14 years.Very few boys (about 5 %) reached peak height velocity before their genitalia were in Stage 4 and over 20% did not do so until their genitalia were adult. Peak height velocity is reached, on the average, nearly 2 years later in boys than in girls, but the boys' genitalia begin to develop only about 6 months later than the girls' breasts. Pubic hair appears about 14 years later in boys than in girls.In a recent paper we described variations in the ages at which girls reached different stages of puberty and in the rates at which they passed from one stage of development to the next (Marshall and Tanner, 1969). We discussed also the degree to which progress in one event of puberty, for example breast development, could normally be out of step with another, such as growth of pubic hair. We now report a similar study of the maturation of boys.The ages at which Dutch boys reached various stages of genital and pubic hair development in 1965 were estimated in a large cross-sectional study by Van Wieringen et al. (1968), but there are no comparable recent data from other parts of Europe. In any case, cross-sectional data cannot tell us how much individuals vary in the rate at which they pass through puberty nor how the

Insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion and β-cell function during puberty in overweight Hispanic children with a family history of type 2 diabetes

“…Tanner stage was assessed by a physician according to the wellestablished criteria of Marshall and Tanner. 16,17 Consistent with our earlier reports, [9][10][11][12][13] Tanner stage was expressed based upon breast development in girls and pubic hair growth in boys, those aspects of pubertal development that reflect the biological activity of gonadal steroid exposure in each sex (testosterone in boys and estrogen in girls). Gonadal steroids were not measured in this study.…”

Distinct effects of obesity and puberty on risk and age at onset of pediatric MS

“…Adrenal maturation (adrenarche), which is associated with increasing levels of the adrenal hormones, precedes gonadarche by a couple of years. Sexual maturity was assessed using Tanner staging21, 22 at the first clinic visit following initial symptoms for MS cases, and at the enrollment visit for controls.…”

Cardiovascular fitness and physical activity in children with and without impaired glucose tolerance

“…2,9 Protocol Children arrived at the USC General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at approximately 0800 after an overnight fast. A complete medical history and physical examination, including the assessment of maturation according to the criteria of Marshall and Tanner, 10 were performed under the direction of the project pediatrician (MJW). Height using a wall mounted stadiometer and weight using a medical balance beam were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm and 0.1 kg, respectively.…”