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Published on: September 20, 2018
Preterm birth and subsequent timing of pubertal growth, menarche, and voice break
Julia Suikkanen1,2, Markku Nurhonen3, Tim J Cole4
1Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland. julia.suikkanen@helsinki.fi.
Insights
Children born preterm show similar pubertal growth and timing as those born at term. This study found no increased risk for early puberty in preterm infants, regardless of gestational age.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Preterm birth can impact long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding pubertal development in preterm infants is crucial for assessing their growth trajectory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pubertal growth and timing between individuals born preterm and those born at term.
- To investigate if being born small for gestational age affects pubertal development in preterm children.
Main Methods:
- The ESTER Preterm Birth Study collected growth data from individuals born very preterm (<34 weeks), late preterm (34-<37 weeks), and at term (≥37 weeks).
- Final height, peak height velocity (PHV), and age at PHV were analyzed using the SuperImposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) model.
- Self-reported data on the timing of menarche and voice break were collected.
Main Results:
- Age at peak height velocity and PHV were comparable across all gestational age groups.
- No significant differences in pubertal timing were observed between preterm and term-born individuals.
- Being born small for gestational age was not associated with altered pubertal growth in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Pubertal growth and timing are similar in individuals born preterm compared to those born at term.
- Preterm birth does not appear to increase the risk for early puberty.
- Further research with larger cohorts, particularly for very preterm infants, is warranted.
Background:
We evaluated pubertal growth and pubertal timing of participants born preterm compared to those born at term.
Methods:
In the ESTER Preterm Birth Study, we collected growth data and measured final height of men/women born very or moderately preterm (<34 gestational weeks, n = 52/55), late preterm (34-<37 weeks, 94/106), and term (≥37 weeks, 131/151), resulting in median 9 measurements at ≥6 years. Timing of menarche or voice break was self-reported. Peak height velocity (PHV, cm/year) and age at PHV (years) were compared with SuperImposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) model (sexes separately).
Results:
Age at PHV (years) and PHV (cm/year) were similar in all gestational age groups. Compared to term controls, insignificant differences in age at PHV were 0.1 (95% CI: -0.2 to 0.4) years/0.2 (-0.1 to 0.4) for very or moderately/late preterm born men and -0.0 (-0.3 to 0.3)/-0.0 (-0.3 to 0.2) for women, respectively. Being born small for gestational age was not associated with pubertal growth. Age at menarche or voice break was similar in all the gestational age groups.
Conclusions:
Timing of pubertal growth and age at menarche or voice break were similar in participants born preterm and at term.
Impact:
Pubertal growth and pubertal timing were similar in preterm and term participants in a relatively large cohort with a wide range of gestational ages. Previous literature indicates that small for gestational age is a risk for early puberty in term born children. This was not shown in preterm children. While our study had limited power for children born very preterm, all children born preterm were not at increased risk for early puberty.
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