Male Pubic Hair Research Articles

Can we rely on adolescents to self-assess puberty stage? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Clinicians, researchers, and global health advocates often include pubertal development in outcomes. However, assessments of pubertal stage can be challenging because of the sensitive nature and feasibility of clinical examinations, especially in larger settings. To determine the accuracy of self-assessed Tanner staging when compared with physically assessed Tanner stages by a clinician. MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL. Studies were included if they reported 5 × 5 tables of self-assessment compared to clinician-assessment for the 5-stage Tanner scale. We extracted data to generate complete 5 × 5 tables for each study, including any subgroup eligible for the analysis, such as overweight/obese youth. After screening, 22 studies representing 21,801 participants met our inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Overall agreement was moderate or substantial between the 2 assessments, with breast stage 1, female pubic hair 1, male pubic hair 1, and male pubic hair 5 having the highest agreement. When stages were collapsed into pre- (Tanner stage 1), in (stages 2,3), and completing (stages 4,5) puberty, levels of agreement improved, especially for pre- and completing pubertal development. Most included studies comprised Caucasian youth. More studies are needed which include a broader range of geographic and socioeconomic settings, as well as a greater diversity of racial/ethnic groups. Self-assessment of puberty is most accurate when identifying Tanner stage 1, Tanner stage 5 and when development is categorized into prepuberty, in, and completing puberty phases. Use of self-assessment data should be structured accordingly. PROSPERO # CRD42018100205.

Pubertal onset in children with perinatal HIV infection in the era of combination antiretroviral treatment.

To evaluate associations of perinatal HIV infection, HIV disease severity, and combination antiretroviral treatment with age at pubertal onset. Analysis of data from two US longitudinal cohort studies (IMPAACT 219C and PHACS AMP), conducted during 2000-2012, including perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) and HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) youth. Tanner stage assessments of pubertal status (breast and pubic hair in girls; genitalia and pubic hair in boys) were conducted annually. We compared the timing of pubertal onset (Tanner stage ≥2) between PHIV and HEU youth using interval-censored models. For PHIV youth, we evaluated associations of HIV disease severity and combination antiretroviral treatment with age at pubertal onset, adjusting for race/ethnicity and birth cohort. The mean age at pubertal onset was significantly later for the 2086 PHIV youth compared to the 453 HEU children (10.3 vs. 9.6, 10.5 vs. 10.0, 11.3 vs. 10.4, and 11.5 vs. 10.7 years according to female breast, female pubic hair, male genitalia, and male pubic hair staging, respectively, all P < 0.001). PHIV youth with HIV-1 RNA viral load above 10, 000 copies/ml (vs. ≤10, 000 copies/ml) or CD4% below 15% (vs. ≥15%) had significantly later pubertal onset (by 4-13 months). Each additional year of combination antiretroviral treatment was associated with a 0.6-1.2-month earlier mean age at pubertal onset, but this trend did not persist after adjustment for birth cohort. Pubertal onset occurs significantly later in PHIV than in HEU youth, especially among those with more severe HIV disease. However, in the current era, combination antiretroviral treatment may result in more normal timing of pubertal onset.

Sexual maturation in relation to polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons: Sharpe and Skakkebaek's hypothesis revisited.

Polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PCAHs) have been described as endocrine disruptors in animals and in accidentally or occupationally exposed humans. In the present study we examined the effect of moderate exposure to PCAHs on sexual maturation. Two hundred adolescents (mean age, 17.4 years) who resided in two polluted suburbs and a rural control area in Flanders (Belgium) participated. We measured the serum concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners 138, 153, and 180 and dioxin-like compounds [chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) assay] as biomarkers of exposure. School physicians assessed the pubertal development of boys and girls and measured testicular volume. In one suburb near two waste incinerators, compared with the other suburb and the control area, fewer boys (p < 0.001) had reached the adult stages of genital development (62% vs. 92% and 100%, respectively) and pubic hair growth (48% vs. 77% and 100%). Also, in the same suburb, fewer girls (p = 0.04) had reached the adult stage of breast development (67% vs. 90% and 79%). In individual boys, a doubling of the serum concentration of PCB congener 138 increased the odds of not having matured into the adult stage of genital development by 3.5 (p = 0.04); similarly for PCB congener 153 in relation to male pubic hair growth, the odds ratio was 3.5 (p = 0.04). In girls, a doubling of the serum dioxin concentration increased the odds of not having reached the adult stage of breast development by 2.3 (p = 0.02). Left plus right testicular volume was lower in both polluted areas than in the control area (42.4 mL vs. 47.3 mL, p = 0.005) but was not related to the current exposure of the adolescents to PCAHs. Through endocrine disruption, environmental exposure to PCAHs may interfere with sexual maturation and in the long-run adversely affect human reproduction.

SEXUAL MATURATION IN MEXICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS: HISPANIC HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY

Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics to produce estimates of the health of U.S. Hispanics. HHANES data are used to describe the secondary sexual characteristics of 1,491 Mexican-American adolescents, 728 females and 723 males, ages ten to seventeen. Estimates were made by the status quo method, which utilizes the percentage of each sexual maturation stage plotted against age. To this percentage distribution, a probit transformation was applied. Median transitional ages for female breast development (B): B2 10.91, B3 12.0, B4 13.75, B5 15.00; female pubic hair development (PH): PH2 11.16, PH3 12.25, PH4 14.00, PH5 15.41. Ages for entry to puberty stages for male genitalia development (G): G2 12.25, G3 13.25, G4 14.50, G5 16.08; male pubic hair development: PH2 12.5, PH3 13.25, PH4 14.5, PH5 16.0.Confidence intervals for both Mexican-American female and male sexual maturation stages are similar to those published for U.S. and British standards. This is the first cross-sectional data for Mexican-American adolescent sexual maturation and probit analysis of a U.S. adolescent population.

Semen characteristics in pubertal boys. III. Semen quality and somatosexual development.

The biological quality of semen in 134 pubertal boys was contrasted with somatosexual development. The absence or sparcity of pubic and axillary hair, the absence of facial hair, and infantile-type penile growth are prominent characteristics in azoospermic and cryptozoospermic boys. Sparse or meager pubic hair, absence or sparcity of axillary and facial hair, and puerile penile type are characteristics in oligozoospermia. Female or male pubic hair, meager or normal axillary hair, sparse facial hair, and puerile penile type are characteristic of asthenozoospermia. Female or male pubic hair, meager or normal axillary hair, sparse facial hair, and adult penile type are characteristic in normospermia. Along with the improvement of semen quality the area of the testis expanded and was the largest in normospermia.

Validation of a self-administered instrument to assess stage of adolescent development

Drawings were made from Tanner's photographs illustrating five stages of development each for male genitalia, testicular size, male pubic hair, female breasts, and female pubic hair. Forty-seven females and forty-eight males aged 12-16 years indicated on questionnaires which stage they were most like, and answered other questions related to their physical development. Afterwards they were examined by physicians who had not seen their answers. Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.6 or above for the physician's observations compared with the adolescents' answers for the drawings, with the exception of testicular size. Answers to questions concerning amount of underarm hair and general development also yielded high correlations.