Sex hormone 6 in children usually focuses on luteinizing hormone (LH) in girls and testosterone (T) in boys, and exceeding the normal value indicates that precocious puberty may exist.
Precocious puberty is an endocrine developmental abnormality in children, which usually occurs at the age of 8 or 9 years old. Parents who suspect precocious puberty in their children should check the 6 items of sex hormones in time. However, sex hormone 6 is only a basic screening test for children and needs to be combined with other tests for a comprehensive diagnosis. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test is the gold standard for diagnosis.
The 6 hormones in children generally include: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), and testosterone (T). In girls, the main focus is on Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and in boys, Testosterone (T).
1. Testosterone (T): It is a steroid hormone, secreted by the testes in men or the ovaries in women. Among the 6 sex hormones in children, the concentration of testosterone in the blood of male children is significantly higher than that of normal children of the same age, which represents the possibility of precocious puberty.
2. Luteinizing hormone (LH): It can promote the conversion of sex hormones into sex hormones in gonadal cells. Luteinizing hormone (LH) between 3.0 and 5.0 IU/L may indicate the presence of precocious puberty. If LH is >5.0 IU/L, the gonadal axis can be determined to be activated without the need for gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test to confirm the diagnosis.
Children should go to the hospital for examination to confirm the diagnosis of precocious puberty and then target treatment.