Delayed Puberty

Delayed puberty is defined as a woman who has not initiated breast development by age 13 or who has not had menstrual periods by age 16. A delay in puberty can be caused from abnormal development of the ovaries or from a lack of the hormone messages from the pituitary gland stimulating the ovaries. The most common cause of lack of ovarian formation is a condition called Turner syndrome. In this syndrome, a woman is born missing an X chromosome. These individuals tend to be of short stature and do not have ovaries that develop. These women tend to be of shorter stature, generally less than 5’ 0” tall, and can have other characteristics that are typical of other people with Turner syndrome.

Some women who actually go through puberty but never have menstrual periods by age 16 have a lack of development of some of the internal female organs such as the uterus, vagina and fallopian tubes. The most common cause of this condition is a syndrome called Rokitansky-Kuser-Hauser syndrome. About 20 percent of these individuals also have abnormalities in their kidneys.