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5. The typological features of development of secondary sex characteristics in city teenage girls

The typological features of development of secondary sex characteristics in city teenage girls

Melnik V.A.

Gomel State Medical University, 5 Lange Street, Gomel, 246000, Republic of Belarus

Melnik Viktor A., PhD., associate professor, melnik76@tut.by

Abstract

Introduction. Development of secondary sex characteristics is one of the most noticeable morphological changes during puberty. At the same time very few scientific works are present that specify the order and time of reaching certain stages of development of sex characteristics in representatives of different somatotypes. Material and methods. The article presents the results of the study of development of secondary sex characteristics in 1757 city girls with different body types examined over 2010-2012. The stages of secondary sex characteristics were determined visually according to J. M. Tanner’s scale. Following secondary sex characteristics were studies: degree of pubic hair distribution, axillary hair distribution, and development of mammary glands. Data on menarche were recorded. Stage of secondary sex characteristics development of girls was assessed taking into account their somatotype. Body types were determined according to the new qualitative scheme developed and introduced into practice by a team of Belarusian scientists. Results and discussion. As a result of the conducted study it has been found that the first stages of development of secondary sex characteristics in city teenage girls appear in those with hypersomic body types (adipose hypersomic, hypersomic) considerably earlier. However, despite the later start of development of secondary sex characteristics in girls with leptosomic somatotypes (asthenized leptosomic and leptosomic), representatives of these body types reach definitive stages within the same terms as girls with other somatotypes at the expense of higher rates of their development. Girls with adipose hypersomic and hypersomic somatotypes have the earliest menarche. The average age at menarche calculated by the retrospective method was 12.5 years. The timing and rates of secondary sex characteristics development in city teenage girls depend on their body types.

Keywords

auxology; secondary sex characteristics; teenage girls; somatotype; Belarusian

DOI: 10.32521/2074-8132.2018.3.090-095

Цит.: Melnik V.A. The typological features of development of secondary sex characteristics in city teenage girls // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2018; 3/2018; с. 90-95