Many scientific studies have revealed a trend towards an earlier onset of puberty and have disclosed an increasing number of children that display precocious puberty. As an explanation, some authors have considered the global socio-economic improvement across different populations, and other authors have considered the action of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Among these, bisphenol A (B...

The consequences of disability span almost all aspects of life, for families and for an affected individual. Endocrine aspects of disability cover disorders of hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction, bone health, puberty, fertility, sexual function and contraceptive needs. Adequate endocrine assessment for a child with a disability requires extensive and sensitive history to address social issues, ...

Central precocious puberty, defined as the onset of puberty before the age 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys, results from a premature activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the hypothalamus. This condition is characterised by early pubertal changes, acceleration of growth velocity, and rapid bone maturation that often result in reduced adult height. It may be either idiopat...

BACKGROUND Discontinuation of metformin therapy, if started beyond menarche in adolescents or young women with hyperinsulinaemia following low birthweight, is rapidly followed by rebound deteriorations in body fat, insulin resistance and blood lipid profile. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that early commencement of metformin and its continuation throughout puberty might have more persisting benefi...