Inducing Puberty in Nigerian Children: A Case series

Abstract

Background: Delayed puberty is defined clinically by the absence or incomplete development of secondary sexual characteristics bounded by an age at which 95 percent of children of that sex and culture have initiated sexual maturation. Delayed puberty usually results from inadequate gonadal steroid secretion most often caused by a variety of hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal disorders. It manifests with the absence of virilization and testicular enlargement (less than 4 mL) by 14 years in males and as primary amenorrhea and the absence of breast development by 13 years in females. Methodology: A retrospective review of Nigerian children with indications for pubertal induction. Case series: We present the cases of five Nigerian children who had induction of pubertal development. All the patients successfully achieved puberty following the use of Ethinyl-estradiol and Levonorgestrel as evidenced by the successful appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. The males and two of the females are on follow up while one female was lost to follow up after reaching Tanners stage III of breast development and having achieved menarche.

Keywords

• ethinyl-estradiol
• inducing puberty
• levonorgestrel
• testosterone