During puberty in females, estrogen levels become elevated and control the formation of proteins responsible for bone growth and density, fat accumulation and ovary development. Estrogen also can influence the psychological development of young women. Low levels of this hormone during puberty may lead to stunted growth, reproductive problems and psychological disorders such as anorexia.
Turner’s Syndrome
Turner’s syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects only females and is marked by short stature and insufficient production of estrogen, leading to early-onset osteoporosis. An article in the March 2011 issue of “The New England Journal of Medicine” investigated the effects on height of childhood estrogen replacement alone and in combination with growth hormone therapy, the typical treatment for Turner’s syndrome. Researchers recruited 149 girls ages 5 to 12.5, and divided them into four groups. One served as a control group, a second received estrogen alone, a third received growth hormone alone and a fourth received both hormones. The study found a significant synergistic effect between the two-hormone treatment group compared to those treated with either estrogen or growth hormone alone, which suggests the influence of estrogen on height in teenage girls.
Weight
Follistatin is a protein that promotes muscle growth and strength and the development of fat, or adipose, tissue, which could be useful to underweight females. A study in the March 2011 issue of “Gynecological Endocrinology” tested the influence of estrogen on the actions of follistatin to increase adipose tissue in young women. The researchers recruited 41 patients, prescribed estrogen in the form of birth control pills and measured their plasma levels of follistatin before and after a one-month trial. The study found a significant increase in the concentration of follistatin and subsequent body fat composition in women who were given estrogen through the use of oral contraceptives.
Bone Development
The use of oral contraceptives is common in females before they reach an age where their bones mature, according to the “Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.” However, the authors stated that decreases in bone density are caused by contraceptive use at an earlier gynecological age and longer treatment duration because synthetic estrogen competes with that naturally produced, which is not as efficient at producing proteins necessary to maintain or increase bone mass, thereby leading to bone loss. The August 2010 article addressed concerns as to whether low-dose oral contraceptives provide sufficient estrogen replacement for bone development in teenaged girls. The authors reviewed current medical literature and found a limited number of studies on the effects of 20 microgram doses of estrogen on bone growth and density. The study concluded that long-term and early-onset contraceptive use may result in bone loss in adolescents.
Eating Disorders
A Michigan State University study published in “Psychological Medicine” in October 2010 investigated the effects of estrogen supplementation on eating disorders in girls during puberty. The researchers recruited 198 female twins ages 10 to 15 and assessed their eating practices and body satisfaction through an accepted grading scale called the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey, or MEBS. Further, the researchers monitored genetic markers to assess the influence of estrogen associated with eating disorders. The study found that high doses of estrogen showed significant improvement in eating disorders in monozygotic twins, which are formed from one egg and one sperm. The authors concluded that estrogen is an import modulator of genetic effects on eating disorders during puberty.
References
- “Psychological Medicine”; Preliminary Evidence That Estradiol Moderates Genetic Influences on Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors during Puberty; K. Klump, et al.; October 2010
- “Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology”; Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives in Adolescents: How Low Can You Go?; H. Agostino, et al.; August 2010
- “Gynecological Endocrinology”; Divergent Effects of Ethinylestradiol-Drospirenone and Flutamide-Metformin on Follistatin in Adolescents and Women with Hyperinsulinemic Androgen Excess; L. Ibanez, et al.; March 2011
- “The New England Journal of Medicine”; Growth Hormone Plus Childhood Low-Dose Estrogen in Turner's Syndrome; J. Ross, et al.; March 2011
