Abstract
ABSTRACT: Serum luteinizing hormone-human chorionic gonadotropin bioactivity (B-LH) was measured daily in seven male and four female full-term newborns during the first 7 days of life. The B-LH levels were elevated in both sexes during the 1st day of life; subsequently, values decreased in both sexes. In males, they reached a nadir on the 4th day of life. A gradual secondary rise was then observed with B-LH levels on the 7th day significantly higher than on day 4 (p < 0.025). By contrast, the B-LH levels in the females continued a gradual decline to levels significantly lower on day 7 as compared to day 4 (p < 0.05). To determine whether pulsatile B-LH secretion occurs in newborns, serum concentrations were measured every 20 min for 2 h in eight male and seven female full-term neonates on the 7th day of life. Pulsatile secretion of B-LH was detected in six males and six females. This study demonstrates that pulsatility of gonadotropin secretion is characteristic of neonates as early as 7 days of life and that there is a dichotomy between the levels of B-LH in males and females; levels in females decline progressively from day 1 through 7, whereas in males, a nadir is reached on day 4 with a secondary rise developing thereafter. This male sex-specific rise is presumably the drive responsible for the characteristic postnatal increase in testosterone which peaks at 1 to 2 months of age.
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Danon, M., Velez, O., Ostrea, T. et al. Dynamics of Bioactive Luteinizing Hormone-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin during the First 7 Days of Life. Pediatr Res 23, 530–533 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198805000-00019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198805000-00019