Abstract

Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations have been determined by a specific radioimmunoassay in 175 boys and girls from 8 through 15 yr of age. The data show that serum LH was detectable at 8 yr for both boys and girls and that there was a progressive rise in serum LH concentrations as sexual maturity was reached. However, there appears to be a quantitative and qualitative difference in the LH increments between boys and girls: consistently higher serum LH concentrations were observed in girls than in boys. There was a 9-fold increase in the mean serum LH concentration in pubescent girls and only a 3-fold increase in pubescent boys. By age 14, the mean serum LH concentration in girls was reaching the adult female levels, but there was only 30% of adult male levels in boys. In addition, menarche was associated with a significant rise in the mean seimm LH concentration. These findings indicate that the correlation between changes accompanied with puberty and increased LH levels in girls is more clearly manifested than in boys.

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