What Causes Turner's Syndrome?

About 1 in 2,500 female babies is born with Turner's syndrome, and doctors do not know why. Researchers have tried to find a link between Turner's syndrome and environment, race, geography, and socioeconomic status, but as of 2009 these factors had not been proven to play a role.

Living with Turner's Syndrome: Carol's Life 

Because of physical abnormalities and feeling "different," life might not be easy for a girl with Turner's syndrome. Carol was born with swollen hands and feet, extra skin at the back of her neck (a webbed neck), oddly shaped ears, and arms that tilted outward from the elbows. Based on her appearance, her doctor suspected that she had Turner's syndrome. A test

in which Carol's chromosomes were studied confirmed that she was missing one of her X chromosomes.

Carol was teased about her appearance in elementary school, but she was most miserable during her teenage years. She was the shortest person in her class. When other girls started developing breasts and getting their period, Carol still looked and felt like a little girl. After Carol's doctor prescribed the hormone estrogen to promote sexual development, she finally

got her period.

How Do Doctors Treat Turner's Syndrome?

Many of the problems associated with Turner's syndrome, such as the failure of the ovaries to develop normally, cannot be prevented, but there are a number of medical treatments that can be performed to improve an affected person's quality of life:

* Plastic surgery for the neck, face, oг ears can improve appearance and self-esteem, if necessary.

* Growth rate and adult height may be increased by treatment with injections of growth hormone.

* Taking the female hormone estrogen promotes sexual development in girls with Turner's syndrome.

* Support groups can help girls with Turner's syndrome develop into confident, successful, and productive adults.

* In some cases, women with Turner's syndrome may be able to become pregnant if a fertilized donor egg is inserted into their uterus.

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