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Characterization of ovarian development in girls from birth to 9 months

Helen B Chin1, Donna D Baird1, Summer L Kaplan2,3

  • 1Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|April 15, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Infant ovarian volume significantly increases in the first 16 weeks of life, peaking around 16 weeks. The presence of ovarian follicles at birth is linked to faster early ovarian growth in healthy infant girls.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Neonatal Development

Background:

  • Infancy involves increased reproductive axis activity, but longitudinal data on reproductive organ development are limited.
  • Minipuberty of infancy is characterized by hormonal changes and organ growth, yet detailed longitudinal changes remain undescribed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize ovarian growth trajectories in healthy girls during the first nine months of life.
  • To describe ovarian follicle development in infants during the first nine months of life.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal cohort study involving 163 healthy girls aged 0-9 months.
  • Ovarian ultrasound evaluations at birth, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 weeks.
  • Mixed-effects regression splines used to model ovarian volume changes and assess follicle presence impact.

Main Results:

  • Ovarian volume increased more than sixfold in the first 16 weeks postpartum, then stabilized.
  • Infants with visible ovarian follicles at birth exhibited more rapid initial ovarian growth.
  • Peak infant ovarian volume observed at 16 weeks, influenced by follicle number and size.

Conclusions:

  • Infant ovarian volume peaks at 16 weeks, influenced by follicle development.
  • This study provides insights for establishing reference ranges for postnatal ovarian growth in healthy infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
infantminipubertyovarian growth

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