Newswise — Puberty is a critical stage in child development and can be a trying time for both children and parents. For some adolescents, however, a delay or early onset of puberty can have long-term negative effects, including future infertility.
Sally Radovick, MD, Henry Rutgers Term Chair of pediatrics and senior associate dean for clinical and research at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has been researching what causes puberty to start and its implications for nearly 30 years. Dr. Radovick recently received a five-year renewal for her RO1 grant and will be continuing to study the impact of early or delayed puberty onset in children.
The study looks at the role of the brain’s hypothalamus in controlling puberty and the reproductive system. In particular, Dr. Radovick studies what triggers puberty, and the consequences of early onset or a delay. According to Dr. Radovick, the average age of puberty is 8 for girls and 9 for boys. In the United States, data show that this number has been trending downward, with children entering puberty earlier. One hypothesis for this development is the increasing rate of childhood obesity.
Dr. Radovick’s research has shown there are long-term consequences for abnormal starts to puberty. When children experience puberty late, along with emotional strife that comes from being physically behind, there could be abnormal bone growth with children never reaching normal adult height. Children who begin puberty early commonly have problems with regular menstruation for girls, and infertility as they enter adulthood.
Says Dr. Radovick, “With one in eight couples experiencing fertility problems in the United States, this research could have major implications for family planning.”
The study has identified that kisspeptin, a hormone made in the brain’s hypothalamus, as the master controller of pubertal onset. When kisspeptin is turned on, puberty follows shortly after, and when its release is stopped, puberty is delayed or nonexistent. When obesity is a factor, the study has also shown kisspeptin is dysregulated and so are menstrual cycles, sometimes experiencing polycystic ovarian syndrome and barriers to fertility.
“The grant renewal means that we can continue to study how kisspeptin and other sex steroids like estrogen can affect the onset of puberty, and how we can manipulate that onset to create normal cycles,” explains Dr. Radovick. “Our ultimate goal is to determine how to prevent abnormal puberty to avoid its negative outcomes.”
There are steps parents can take to make sure their children are on track for normal puberty. Dr. Radovick clarifies, “Parents should make sure their children have regular visits with their pediatrician so that their growth is charted. Observing children’s growth over time is critical towards understanding the health of a child and detecting if there are abnormalities.”
Dr. Radovick is also the principal investigator for two additional research studies—an NIH U01 grant studying the genetic diagnosis of childhood growth disorders and also a NJ ACTS training grant that supports the advancement of junior faculty.
She says, “ My successful research initiatives are measured in the achievements of my laboratory and clinical colleagues. There is a breadth and depth of research in the medical school’s clinical departments. We have a collaborative nature here at Rutgers and we pride ourselves in involving many different disciplines in our research.”
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