Turner syndrome
Almost all girls with Turner syndrome will grow up to be shorter than average, with underdeveloped ovaries.
Girls with Turner syndrome will also have distinctive features and associated health conditions, some of which may be apparent from birth.
They may be born with swollen hands and feet, caused by a build-up of excess fluid in the surrounding tissues. This is known as Lymphoedema , and it usually clears soon after birth.
Other features that may have developed in the womb include:
Babies with Turner syndrome may grow at a normal rate until three years of age. After this age, their growth slows down.
At puberty (usually at age 8 to 14), a girl with Turner syndrome will not have the normal growth spurt, even with female oestrogen hormone replacement (HRT).
Girls with Turner syndrome are typically short in relation to the height of their parents. On average, adult women with untreated Turner syndrome are 20cm (8 inches) shorter than adult women without the syndrome. Treatment with additional high-dose growth hormone reduces this difference by about 5cm (about 2 inches) on average.
During puberty, a girl's ovaries usually begin to produce the sex hormones oestrogen and, once fully mature, progesterone. These trigger periods to begin.
Around 90% of girls with Turner syndrome will not produce enough of these sex hormones, which means:
Even though many women with Turner syndrome have undeveloped ovaries and are infertile, their vagina and womb develop normally. This means they are able to have a normal sex life following treatment with female hormones.
Most girls need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with oestrogen from around 10 to 12 years of age to begin breast development, and about three years later with added progesterone to bring on monthly periods.
A minority (10%) of girls with Turner syndrome experience some physical changes naturally during puberty, but only a very small number (1%) become spontaneously pregnant.
There are many other symptoms or characteristics that can affect girls and women with Turner syndrome. Some of these are listed below.
Turner syndrome is often associated with a number of other health conditions. Some of these include:
Most girls with Turner syndrome have good language and reading skills. However, some have behavioural, social and specific learning difficulties.
About a third of girls with Turner syndrome have problems understanding social relationshipsbecause ofthe way their brain develops.
This can make it difficultto sustain friendships and leads to relationship problems in later life, both at home and at work.
Spatial awareness is the ability to understand where you are in relation to objects or other people.
More than8 out of 10 females with Turner syndrome have difficulty understanding spatial relationships. This may cause problems when learning to drive orfollowing directions on a map.
A similar number have some degree of difficulty learning or understanding maths. This is known as dyscalculia.
Typically, girls with Turner syndrome will go through a phase in childhood that involves:
Attention and hyperactivity problemsusually begin when the girl is a toddler, but may not be a serious problem until the girl starts school at four or five years of age. Girls with Turner syndrome may have difficulty settling in class.
Medicines usually given to treat symptomsof attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may not beas effective in cases of Turner syndrome.
The physical hyperactivity usually reduces around the time the girl starts secondary school at 11 years of age, although problems with inattention can last longer, into the teens.
Turner syndrome is a genetic disorder that only affects females. It causes a wide range of symptoms and some distinctive characteristics.
The symptoms of Turner syndrome vary depending on the age of the girl or woman affected.
Turner syndrome is a genetic condition caused by a missing or incomplete sex chromosome.
Turner syndrome is sometimes diagnosed before a baby is born, although it is often identified during childhood or at puberty.
There is no cure for Turner syndrome, but many of the associated symptoms, such as short stature, sexual development problems and learning difficulties, can be treated.