Early puberty in adopted children
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Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Determination of Reproductive Competence by Confirming Pubertal Onset and Performing a Fertility Assay in Mice and Rats
Published on: October 13, 2018
D Mul1, W Oostdijk, S L S Drop
1Erasmus University Medical Centre/Sophia Children's Hospital (Subdivision Endocrinology), Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Mul@alkg.azr.nl
Abstract:
Early puberty is frequently observed in adopted children. In various studies, early puberty has been associated with decreased final height. In Europe, studies were undertaken to treat early puberty in adopted children with GnRH agonist. This article reviews the current understanding of early puberty in adopted children, including prevalence, background and treatment options. Data from the European studies are briefly described. Besides auxological aspects, psychological items are addressed as well. Studies on the psychological effect of early puberty in adopted children are reported. Future issues include further study in the mechanism of early puberty in adopted children, evaluation of final height results of the growth studies and quality of life assessments in this specific group of children.
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