Menarche and puberty in daughters of amenorrheic women

Z. Ben-Rafael, J. Blankstein, J. Sack, B. Lunenfeld, G. Oelsner, D. M. Serr and S. Mashiach

Twenty-six daughters born to amenorrheic women after gonadotropin-induced ovulation were studied at 10 to 16 years of age. The aim of the study was to assess whether the mothers' condition, namely, amenorrhea and infertility followed by the pharmacologic induction of ovulation, had any effect on their female offspring in terms of endocrine disorders at puberty. The daughters were found to have normal onset of puberty as well as normal physical and mental development. The mean age at menarche, body weight, and height were similar to those of the general female population in Israel. A functioning hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis was evidenced by the appearance of menarche followed by regular cycles. These data form a reassuring sample for the clinicians, the treated mothers, and their offspring.