Serono Symposia International convened an expert panel to review the impact of environmental influences on the regulation of pubertal onset and progression while identifying critical data gaps and future research priorities. An expert panel reviewed the literature on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, body size, and puberty. The panel concluded that available experimental animal and human data support a possible role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and body size in relation to alterations in pubertal onset and progression in boys and girls. Critical data gaps prioritized for future research initiatives include (1) etiologic research that focus on environmentally relevant levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and body size in relation to normal puberty as well as its variants, (2) exposure assessment of relevant endocrine-disrupting chemicals during critical windows of human development, and (3) basic research to identify the primary signal(s) for the onset of gonadotropin-releasing hormone–dependent/central puberty and gonadotropin-releasing hormone–independent/peripheral puberty. Prospective studies of couples who are planning pregnancies or pregnant women are needed to capture the continuum of exposures at critical windows while assessing a spectrum of pubertal markers as outcomes. Coupled with comparative species studies, such research may provide insight regarding the causal ordering of events that underlie pubertal onset and progression and their role in the pathway of adult-onset disease.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
February 2008
Supplement Articles|
February 01 2008
Environmental Factors and Puberty Timing: Expert Panel Research Needs
Germaine M. Buck Louis, PhD;
Germaine M. Buck Louis, PhD
aEpidemiology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Search for other works by this author on:
L. Earl Gray, Jr, PhD;
L. Earl Gray, Jr, PhD
bEndocrinology Branch, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Search for other works by this author on:
Michele Marcus, PhD, MPH;
Michele Marcus, PhD, MPH
cDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Search for other works by this author on:
Sergio R. Ojeda, DVM;
Sergio R. Ojeda, DVM
dDivision of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center-Oregon Health and Sciences University, Beaverton, Oregon
Search for other works by this author on:
Ora H. Pescovitz, MD;
Ora H. Pescovitz, MD
eDepartment of Pediatrics and Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
Search for other works by this author on:
Selma Feldman Witchel, MD;
Selma Feldman Witchel, MD
fDivision of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Search for other works by this author on:
Wolfgang Sippell, MD, PhD;
Wolfgang Sippell, MD, PhD
gDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
David H. Abbott, PhD;
David H. Abbott, PhD
hDepartment of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Search for other works by this author on:
Ana Soto, MD;
Ana Soto, MD
iDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Search for other works by this author on:
Rochelle W. Tyl, PhD;
Rochelle W. Tyl, PhD
jCenter for Life Sciences and Toxicology, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Search for other works by this author on:
Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, MD, PhD;
Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, MD, PhD
kCHU Sart-Tilman, University of Liege, Belgium
Search for other works by this author on:
Niels E. Skakkebaek, MD, DMSc;
Niels E. Skakkebaek, MD, DMSc
lUniversity Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
Shanna H. Swan, PhD;
Shanna H. Swan, PhD
mDepartment of Family & Community Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
Search for other works by this author on:
Mari S. Golub, PhD;
Mari S. Golub, PhD
nOffice of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, California
Search for other works by this author on:
Martin Wabitsch, MD, PhD;
Martin Wabitsch, MD, PhD
oDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Jorma Toppari, MD, PhD;
Jorma Toppari, MD, PhD
pDepartments of Physiology and Pediatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Search for other works by this author on:
Susan Y. Euling, PhD
Susan Y. Euling, PhD
qNational Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Search for other works by this author on:
Address correspondence to Germaine M. Buck Louis, PhD, Epidemiology Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Blvd, Room 7B03, Rockville, MD 20852. E-mail: louisg@mail.nih.gov
Pediatrics (2008) 121 (Supplement_3): S192–S207.
Article history
Accepted:
September 05 2007
Citation
Germaine M. Buck Louis, L. Earl Gray, Michele Marcus, Sergio R. Ojeda, Ora H. Pescovitz, Selma Feldman Witchel, Wolfgang Sippell, David H. Abbott, Ana Soto, Rochelle W. Tyl, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Niels E. Skakkebaek, Shanna H. Swan, Mari S. Golub, Martin Wabitsch, Jorma Toppari, Susan Y. Euling; Environmental Factors and Puberty Timing: Expert Panel Research Needs. Pediatrics February 2008; 121 (Supplement_3): S192–S207. 10.1542/peds.1813E
Download citation file:
0 Comments
Comments Icon
Comments (0)
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Pay-Per-View Access
$25.00