Assessment of Sexual Maturation Among Girls With Special Needs in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on sexual maturation among girls with intellectual, sensory, or physical disabilities. OBJECTIVES: The present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the sexual maturation of girls with these disabilities in special schools. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the onset and progression of sexual maturation in 642 six to 18-year-old girls with intellectual, sensory, or physical disabilities from special schools in Tehran. The participants were selected by multi-stage random sampling. Pubertal stages were assessed by visual inspection and palpation based on the rating scales of Tanner. Stage two (breast budding and pubic hair growth) and stage five were considered the onset and end of puberty, respectively. RESULTS: The mean ages of onset of puberty indicated by breast budding (B2 stage) and by pubic hair growth (P2 stage) were 10.8 ± 1.48 and 10.79 ± 1.64 years, respectively. The process of puberty based on breast budding and pubic hair growth was completed at 15.58 ± 1.85 and 15.59 ± 1.8 years, respectively. The average height at the onset of puberty (stage B2) among participants was 128 ± 28.79 cm and the average weight was 8.31 ± 36.47 kg. CONCLUSIONS: Among our patients, the mean ages of onset of puberty indicated by breast budding (B2 stage) and by pubic hair growth (P2 stage) were 10.8 ± 1.48 and 10.79 ± 1.64 years, respectively. Compared to the data from healthy Iranian girls, our findings indicate that the mean age of pubertal onset among schoolgirls with disabilities is slightly higher than that of their healthy counterparts.