Protocol - Assessment of Pubertal Development - Child and Adolescent Male

Description

The parent of the male participant uses the Tanner staging drawings to self-assess the stage of puberty he has reached in terms of the size and shape of his testes and his pubic hair.

Specific Instructions

The Sickle Cell Disease Genitourinary Working Group notes that patients and research participants with chronic diseases, like sickle cell disease, can have a delay in the start of puberty and with that relative short stature. Investigators should track height and stage of puberty carefully as the participant enters adolescence.

Availability

Available

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Protocol

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Growing and Changing, Parent/Son Questionnaire

We would like to assess the stage of your son’s physical development using the drawings on the next pages. These show various stages commonly used by doctors to assess the growth and development of boys.

We need to know which drawings most closely match your son’s stage of development at the moment.

Not all children follow the same pattern of development. Just pick the stage that is closest, based on both the picture and the description.

Boys go through the various stages of physical development at different ages. Some start as early as 6, others not until they are 20. We need your help in letting us know what stage you son is at. Please look at each of the drawings. It is also important to read the descriptions.

Cross the box that is closest to your son’s current stage

	1 [ ]	The size and shape of the testes, scrotum (the sac holding the testes) and penis are about the same as when you were younger.
	2 [ ]	The penis is a little bit bigger. The scrotum has dropped and the skin of the scrotum has changed. The testes are bigger.
	3 [ ]	The penis has grown longer, the testes have grown and dropped lower.
	4 [ ]	The penis is longer and wider. The head of the penis is bigger, the scrotum is a darker colour and bigger. The testes are bigger.
	5 [ ]	The penis, scrotum and testes are the size and shape of a man’s.
	6 [ ]	Not Sure

As part of development, at some stage hair will start to grow just above the penis.

Please look at each of the drawings. It is also important to read the descriptions.

Cross the box that is closest to the amount of pubic hair that you have.

	1 [ ]	There is no hair at all.
	2 [ ]	There is a little soft, long, lightly coloured hair at the base of the penis. It may be straight or a little curly.
	3 [ ]	The hair is darker and more curled. It has spread out and thinly covers a bigger area.
	4 [ ]	The hair is as dark and curly as that of a man, but it hasn’t spread out to the legs.
	5 [ ]	The hair is like that of a man. It has spread out to the legs.
	6 [ ]	Not sure

Personnel and Training Required

None

Equipment Needs

Pencil and paper

Requirements

Requirement Category	Required
Major equipment	No
Specialized training	No
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection	No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual	No

Mode of Administration

Self-administered questionnaire

Lifestage

Child, Adolescent

Participants

Males aged 8-13 years

Selection Rationale

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) provides Tanner stage drawings that have been widely used for decades with adolescent males and females to determine their own perceptions of pubertal development.

Language

English

Standards

Standard	Name	ID	Source
Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC)	Assess pubertal dev male proto	62645-7	LOINC
Human Phenotype Ontology	Puberty and gonadal disorders	HP:0008373	HPO

Derived Variables

None

Process and Review

The PhenX Sickle Cell Disease Genitourinary Working Group (WG) reviewed this protocol in May 2022. Guidance from the WG includes:

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Protocol Name from Source

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Growing and Changing, Parent/Son Questionnaire- 97 - 157 Months

Source

University of Bristol. Department of Social Medicine. (n.d.). Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Growing and Changing, Parent/Son Questionnaire. Oakfield Grove, Bristol, UK: Author. Questions B1-B5 and C1-C5.

General References

August, G. P., Gr?mbach, M. M., & Kaplan, S. L. (1972). Hormonal changes in puberty. 3. Correlation of plasma testosterone, LH, FSH, testicular size, and bone age with male pubertal development. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 34(2), 319-326.

Burr, I. M., Sizonenko, P. C., Kaplan, S. L., & Gr?mbach, M. M. (1970). Hormonal changes in puberty. I. Correlation of serum luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone with stages of puberty, testicular size, and bone age in normal boys. Pediatric Research, 4(1), 25-35.

Jost, A. (1970). Hormonal factors in the sex differentiation of the mammalian foetus. Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 259, 119-130.

MacLaughlin, D. T., & Donahoe, P. K. (2004). Sex determination and differentiation. New England Journal of Medicine, 350(4), 367-378.

Marshall, W., & Tanner, J. M. (1970). Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 45, 13-23.

Raivio, T., Falardeau, J., Dwyer, A., Quinton, R., Hayes, F. J., Hughes, V. A., Cole, L. W., Pearce, S. H., Lee, H., Boepple, P., Crowley, W. F., Jr., & Pitteloud, N. (2007). Reversal of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. New England Journal of Medicine, 357, 863-873.

Protocol ID

100104

Variables

Export Variables

Variable Name	Variable ID	Variable Description	dbGaP Mapping
PX100104_Male_Child_Penis_Scrotum_Testis_Development_Stage
	PX100104010000	Cross the box that is closest to your son's more current stage show less	N/A
PX100104_Male_Child_Pubic_Hair_Development_Stage
	PX100104020000	Cross the box that is closest to the amount more of pubic hair that you have. show less	N/A

Reproductive Health

Measure Name

Assessment of Pubertal Development

Release Date

August 15, 2023

Definition

Separate male- and female-specific protocols to assess stage of puberty. Stage of puberty can be assessed by pubic hair, female breast development, and the size and shape of the male testes.

Purpose

The purpose of these protocols is to assess stage of puberty.

Keywords

assessment of pubertal development - male, Reproductive health, puberty, breast development, testes development, Tanner staging, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, ALSPAC

Measure Protocols

Protocol ID	Protocol Name
100101	Assessment of Pubertal Development - Teenage Female
100102	Assessment of Pubertal Development - Teenage Male
100103	Assessment of Pubertal Development - Child and Adolescent Female
100104	Assessment of Pubertal Development - Child and Adolescent Male

Publications

There are no publications listed for this protocol.