Child development consists of two distinct developmental events, adrenarche and puberty, both of which involve the production of sex hormones in the body. In adrenarche they are produced by the adrenal cortex and in puberty by gonads (ovaries and testes). Sex hormones lead to the characteristic signs of puberty and the child matures towards a reproductive adult. Although adrenarche and puberty are part of normal development, there are still many unanswered questions. Among the most important of these are: 1) what is the meaning of adrenarche, 2) what exactly are the factors that influence the development of adrenarche and puberty, and 3) how abnormal timing of adrenarche or puberty is reflected in the subsequent health of the individual. On the other hand, our current screening rules for abnormal sexual development in Finland are not based on evidence and up-to-date data. In this research project, we aim to provide answers and solutions to these questions.

2025

2029