1.

Body fat
- When an ideal ratio of body fat to lean mass is attained, the sensitivity of the
hypothalamus to estrogen increases which stimulates the maturation of
reproductive functions
- Estrogens are released by adipocytes so consequently, girls with a higher
body mass index (BMI) experience puberty at younger ages.
- A study conducted in the Brazilian Amazon: found a positive association
between excess weight and body fat with age at early menarche.
2. Hormones
- Leptin: secreted by adipose cells to inhibit hunger when body fat increases
An increase in leptin ⇒ hypothalamus releases more GnRH ⇒ impacts hypothalamic-
pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis)⇒ speed up the onset of puberty by increasing the
estrogen released by ovaries
(Individuals with decreased leptin levels, caused by mutation in the
leptin gene, experience obesity at a young age but do not undergo early
onset puberty. So, while high body fat content is associated with early
onset of puberty, if leptin is not present, body fat will increase but the
secretion of GnRH will decrease, resulting in a delay or absence of
puberty.)
- Thyroid: regulates the development of uterine, ovarian, and placental tissues
Hypothyroidism: irregularities of the thyroid.
In hypothyroidism, level of thyrotropin increases, releasing hormone inhibit
GnRH secretion, therefore decreasing LH levels resulting in delayed puberty
3. Chemical composition
Estrogens are a class of sex steroids that include the hormones estrone, estradiol,
estriol, and estetrol.
Estradiol is very significant in maturation during puberty, as it is consistently being
secreted by the ovaries at this time.
Previous researc found insufficient estradiol secretion led to delayed puberty, and
increased estradiol levels contributed to hypogonadism.
4. Genes
Several studies have attempted to identify genes directly responsible for the onset of
puberty.