[Somatic maturity of girls in relation to serum hypophyseal hormone values]

FSH, LH, PRL (prolactin), HGH, and TSH values were determined in 101 girls ages 11--15. The values were expressed in SI units and compared with the degree of pubertal development assessed according to Tanner's classification. The results have shown that the RSH values are the higher, the higher degree of the girls' maturity. Their even increase is characteristic. LH also increases wtih the degree of maturity but there is a pronounced increase of its values in pubertal stages III and IV. Pre-menarcheal prolactin ranged between 7.86 and 12.67 microgram/l and was lower than in the luteinic phase of the cycle after menarche. HGH gradually goes up with maturity, reaching its highest values in the fourth development stage after Tanner. TSH values proved more or less similar, without changing with the degree of maturity. It is evidenced that TSH is significantly correlated with LH before menarche but later there is no correlation at all. OH proved correlated with weight, height, and age. Other parameters observed did not show any correlation with the degree of sexual maturity. In the group of girls in the post- menarcheal phase (N = 49) the results are classified by the physiological phases of the cycle in three subgroups. It has been shown that FSH and LH in all three phases of the cycle were higher than in the pre-menarcheal phase. FSH was higher in the first two phases of the cycle than in the third one. LH values were highly dispersed in all three phases of the cycle. Prolactin was somewhat higher (14,05 micrograms/l) in the luteinic phase. The HGH and TSH level was subject to no changes in the course of the menstrual cycle.