Spontaneous puberty in girls with early diagnosis of Turner syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To verify if the frequency of spontaneous pubertal development among girls with Turner syndrome (TS) diagnosed in infancy and childhood is greater than that of patients diagnosed later. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Thirty three girls aged < 10 years at the time of diagnosis were evaluated regarding pubertal development. The frequency of spontaneous puberty was compared with that of girls aged > 13 years diagnosed at the same service. RESULTS Sixteen of 32 informative patients had signs of spontaneous puberty, a frequency greater than that of patients diagnosed later. In six patients, there was no progression of puberty; menarche occurred in six, and one became pregnant, but the fetus was a stillborn. Spontaneous puberty was absent in all cases with 45,X karyotype. CONCLUSIONS The greater prevalence of spontaneous puberty in girls whose diagnosis was not based on pubertal delay suggests that, among those diagnosed later, there is a bias towards patients with hypogonadism.