PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT IN ELITE JUVENILE GYMNASTS - EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL-TRAINING

Twenty-two female teenagers engaged in elite gymnast training were pro spectively studied during a five-year period and their pubertal develo pment was recorded. Height and weight, as well as stage of development according to Tanner, were registered every six months. FSH, LH, TSH a nd prolactin were measured in girls who had not yet had their first me nstrual period. Twenty-two healthy school girls in the same age group who were not actively engaged in physical exercise served as a control group. Pubertal development was completed during the observation peri od in all the gymnasts but one, who had primary amenorrhea at the age of eighteen. As a group, the gymnasts had a significantly delayed age of menarche compared to the control group and to normal Swedish girls. They also had significantly less body fat and were shorter and lighte r than the control group. They grew much more slowly and did not have the distinct growth spurt seen in the controls. The final height of si x of the gymnasts was less than the expected height. The frequency of injuries was high in the gymnasts, which might be a result of hard tra ining combined with late menarche and low body fat.