Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
A preliminary study on the relationship between environmental endocrine disruptors and precocious puberty in girls
Fang Zhou1, Zhenzhen Jin1, Li Zhu1
1Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital of Zhuji, Zhuji, P.R. China.
Objectives:
To explore the associations of environmental endocrine disruptors on precocious puberty in girls.
Methods:
This was a case-control study in which 30 girls with precocious puberty and 46 age- and race-matched prepubertal females were enrolled. The concentrations of 10 environment endocrine disruptors (bisphenol A, bisphenol B, butylparaben, propylparaben, ethvlparaben, methylparaben, mono-butyl phthalate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, monoethyl phthalate, and monomethyl phthalate) in urine and 10 steroid hormones (dihydrotestosterone, corticosterone, hydrocortisone, 11-deoxycortisol, 17α-hydroxy progesterone, 4-androstene-3,17-dione, estrone, deoxycorticosterone, pregnenolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone) in serum were detected with the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).
Results:
According to the Mann-Whitney U test, urinary levels of bisphenol A, monobutyl phthalate, and monomethyl phthalate were significantly higher in the precocious group than in the prepubertal group, and blood levels of hydrocortisone, 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone, and pregnenolone were significantly lower in the precocious group than in the prepubertal group (p<0.05, VIP>1).
Conclusions:
Our findings confirm the association between phthalate exposure and the incidence of precocious puberty in girls. Control and reduction of children exposure to phthalate esters should be considered as a health priority.
Related Concept Videos
Signs of Puberty
Gene-Environment Interactions
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH...
Nature and Nurture

