Growth hormone secretion patterns in relation to LH and estradiol secretion throughout normal female puberty

Abstract

Pulsatile growth hormone secretion patterns were studied in relation to luteinizing hormone and estradiol release in 33 healthy (pre)pubertal girls. Plasma GH was determined every 10 min, plasma LH and E2 every hour. Night-time GH release was always higher than daytime GH release. During daytime, all GH secretion parameters, except for the basal GH level, increased significantly from the prepubertal stage to stage B4 before (m\m=-\) the menarche (p=0.05) and decreased thereafter (p=0.05). During night-time, mean GH level and the fraction of GH in pulses also tended to increase from stage B1 to stage B4m\m=-\.The number of high pulses (>8 \g=m\g/l )during day and night together tended to increase until stage B4m\m=-\and decreased after the menarche (p=0.05). Height velocity did not correlate with the number of high pulses (Kendall \g=t\=0.14,p=0.14). From stage B1 to B4m\m=-\ high correlations were observed between E2 levels and GH secretion parameters, particularly during the day (\g=t\=0.59-0.71,p\m=le\0.01).The correlations between LH levels and GH secretion were high as well (\g=t\=0.50-0.81, p\m=le\0.01), but equal during day and night. It is concluded that during puberty 1. spontaneous GH release in girls increases 2-3 fold until the menarche and decreases thereafter, primarily as the result of an increasing and decreasing GH pulse amplitude; 2. diurnally increasing estradiol levels correlated with increasing GH secretion.Studies of spontaneous growth hormone secretion in girls during puberty have revealed either no change (1-3) or an increase (4,5). Estrogens have been implicated to increase spontaneous secretion of GH as well as secretion in response to provoca¬ tive stimuli (6-9). Furthermore, during GnRH-in¬ duced puberty, a concurrent increase in GH secre¬ tion was reported in hypogonadotropic female patients (10,11). Therefore, stimulation of the go¬ nadal axis seems to result in an increased GH se¬ cretion. Different assay methods, detecting GH at various degrees, and investigations in groups of se¬ lected children, such as those with short stature, may have contributed to the initial discrepancies.To further elucidate GH release in girls during spontaneous pubertal development, we investi¬ gated 33 healthy girls at different pubertal stages with a novel, sensitive and accurate oligoclonal immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for GH. This oli¬ goclonal IRMA has the advantage of measuring high values of GH, especially in the higher range concentrations (12) resulting in a more pro¬ nounced pulsatile pattern. Moreover, the results are intimately related to those of the NB2-lymphocyte GH bioassay (13).The basic question addressed here is how spon¬ taneous GH secretory profiles change in girls during daytime and night-time with the onset and advancement of puberty, as well as in relation to physiological changes in LH and estradiol (E2) se¬ cretion. In addition, the relationship to growth during puberty is investigated.

Urinary Growth Hormone Excretion in 657 Healthy Children and Adults: Normal Values, Inter- and Intraindividual Variations

“…The changes in u-GH excretion with age indicated, similar to serum studies, that sex steroids have an influence on hGH secretion [2,3]. The highest concen tration of serum luteinizing hormone concentration has been found in the middle of puberty for both sexes, which might augment hGH secretion via an increase in sex steroid and GH-releasing hormone concentration [26][27][28][29], The influence of sex steroids on u-GH excretion was additionally supported by the fact that adults had higher excretion levels than prepubertal children and that u-GH excretion changed during pubertal matura tion stages (Tanner stages 2-5 with maximum values in stages 3 and 4). The observed peak of night u-GH excre tion in Tanner stage 3 for girls and 4 for boys was in accordance with the peak height velocities in both sexes [19,20], In our study group, girls in Tanner stage 2 had significantly higher u-GH excretion values at night than boys, whereas the opposite was true for Tanner stages 1.…”

TNFRSF11A and TNFSF11 are associated with age at menarche and natural menopause in white women

“…Given that the hormonal status during menarche and menopause changes drastically 66–68, this may suggest respective alterations in the genes’ activity. There are also data about the prolactin-controlled role of TNFRSF11A and TNFSF11 in mammary gland development during pregnancy 69;70.…”

GH as a co-gonadotropin: the relevance of correlative changes in GH secretion and reproductive state

“…The close relationship between GH and gonadal steroid levels during the pubertal period suggests that gonadal steroids may stimulate linear growth, in part, by stimulating pituitary GH secretion (Wennink et al 1991). Indeed, both gonadal steroid synthesis and the GH secretory pulse amplitude begin to increase earlier in girls with precocious puberty, and suppression of gonadal steroid secretion by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists in these girls also suppresses GH and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) secretion (Mansfield et al 1988).…”