A mother brings her 14-year-old daughter to the office for consultation. The mother is concerned that her daughter is shorter than her friends, and should have started her period by now. On physical examination, the girl is 4 ft 10 in tall. She shows evidence of breast development at Tanner stage 2. She has no axillary or pubic hair. You reassure the mother that her daughter seems to be developing normally.
Educating the mother and daughter, your best advice is to tell them which of the following?
A. The daughter will start her period when her breasts reach Tanner stage 5Significant emotional concerns develop when puberty is delayed. By definition, if breast development has not begun by the age of 13 years, delayed puberty should be suspected. Menarche usually follows about 1 to 2 years after the beginning of breast development; if menarche is delayed beyond the age of 16 years, delayed puberty should be investigated. Appropriate laboratory tests include circulating pituitary and steroid hormone levels, karyotypic analysis, and CNS imaging when indicated. An FSH value greater than 40 mIU/mL defines hypergonadotropic hypogonadism as a cause of delayed pubertal maturation. Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism is seen in girls with gonadal dysgenesis, such as with Turner syndrome.