Childhood obesity predisposes to abnormal sexual development

Obese children are prone to the risk of abnormal sexual development, such as early sexual development, delayed sexual development, sexual development disorders and other problems. First, delayed sexual development Many obese boys are often accompanied by delayed sexual development during puberty. A study found that male obese children with abnormal sexual development of up to 80%, “small pudendum” is not only the accumulation of subcutaneous fat, and their internal organs are also constantly adipose, adipose pituitary gland will reduce the secretion of gonadotropins, affecting the secretion and release of androgens, resulting in the blood of androgens and estrogens The proportion of androgen and estrogen in the blood is imbalanced, prolactin is increased, endocrine disorders and lead to testicular hypoplasia, penile cavernous hypoplasia, short penis; obese boys feminization: beard less or even no, axillary hair sparse, laryngeal node is not obvious, the color of the face becomes grayish-white, delicate skin, buttocks plump, bilateral breast development, etc.; children with the lower abdomen and pubic symphysis of the accumulation of fat over the external genitalia, leading to the penis in an invisible shape and affecting the development of penis and scrotum. The development of penis and scrotum is also affected. If not treated in time, the development will cause irreversible damage, resulting in adult gonadal dysgenesis, sexual dysfunction and even infertility. It is also believed that obesity from childhood, testicular interstitium is infiltrated by fat cells, thus affecting the function of interstitial cells to produce androgens. Experts remind parents that children must be made from childhood to avoid excessive obesity. Second, early sexual development and delayed sexual development corresponds to, some obese children encountered is just the opposite of the problem of early sexual development. Obese children generally have overweight, height growth acceleration and bone age early development phenomenon, obese children’s sexual development in advance, may be related to the early development of adrenocortical function. Such as obese girls menarche earlier than non-obese children, normal children after the age of 10 years old began breast development, boys after the age of 12 years old began testicular enlargement, and then gradually complete the development of gonads and secondary sexual characteristics. Many obese girls breast development, physical development in advance, some 8 years old before the breast development, 9 years old before the first menstruation is also more common. Many obese boys will appear throat knot, beard, voice change early, some children in 12 to 13 years old or earlier first spermatorrhea. Some obese women also have abnormal ovarian function, such as irregular menstruation, menorrhagia or amenorrhea, hairy, which can lead to infertility in adulthood. Because of the excessive secretion of estrogen, the first menstrual period will be early, but at the same time, it will affect the ovarian function, and there will be follicular development disorder, ovulation disorder, and poor egg development. And later on, there will be a decline in estrogen secretion, leading to early amenorrhea, early menopause and premature aging in women. There is also the fact that, due to the excessive secretion of estrogen in obese children, boys show feminine development, and their epiphyses usually close early, resulting in shorter puberty and shorter height than their peers.