Plasma estrogen and androgen concentrations in children during adolescence

Using Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and a radioimmunological technique, the simultaneous measurement of estrone, estradiol, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone was performed in a single extract of peripheral plasma in children. In 44 boys and 43 girls, the mean plasma concentration of estrone rose steadily in both sexes, though more pronounced in the girls. For estradiol, this increment was noted only for the girls. For testosterone, the boys showed a spurt after pubertal stage 3, whereas the girls did not show any rise throughout the developmental phases. The girls, however, showed increment in dihydrotestosterone, concentration from pubertal stage 1 to 3, and plateaued thereafter. The boys showed marked increment in the concentration of this steroid throughout development, although less pronounced as that seen for testosterone. Plasma estrogens correlated better with the clinical evaluation of sexual maturation than with chronological ages in the girls. Similarly, the boys showed better relationship between the androgens and maturational stages than with chronological age. The girls also demonstrated a steep increment in the SDs for the estrogen values with sexual maturation (at stages 3 and 4, the SDs for estrone and estradiol were 0.26 and 0.80 respectively, at stage 5 they were 0.82 and 1.49 respectively) reflecting perhaps the onset of cyclic activity. When the estrogen values were related to the androgen values, the boys demonstrated a high association (r equals 0.78). This correlation was absent in the girls.