The symptoms of isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency, in males, include pseudohermaphroditism (i.e., feminized, ambiguous, or mildly underdeveloped (e.g., micropenis, perineal hypospadias, and/or cryptorchidism (undescended testes)) external genitalia), female gender identity, and, in non-complete cases of deficiency where partial virilization occurs, gynecomastia up to Tanner stage V (due to low androgen levels, which results in a lack of suppression of estrogen); in females, amenorrhoea or, in cases of only partial deficiency, merely irregular menses, and enlarged cystic ovaries (due to excessive stimulation by high levels of gonadotropins); and in both sexes, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (hypogonadism despite high levels of gonadotropins), delayed, impaired, or fully absent adrenarche and puberty with an associated reduction in or complete lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics (sexual infantilism), impaired fertility or complete sterility, tall stature (due to delayed epiphyseal closure), eunuchoid skeletal proportions, delayed or absent bone maturation, and osteoporosis.

Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism presents as hypogonadism, e.g., reduced or absent puberty, low libido, infertility, etc. due to an impaired release of the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), and a resultant lack of sex steroid and peptides production by the gonads.

In Kallmann syndrome, a variable non-reproductive phenotype occurs with anosmia (loss of the sense of smell) including sensorineural deafness, coloboma, bimanual synkinesis, craniofacial abnormalities, and/or renal agenesis.

The symptoms of Leydig cell hypoplasia include pseudohermaphroditism (i.e., feminized, ambiguous, or relatively mildly underdeveloped (e.g., micropenis, severe hypospadias, and/or cryptorchidism (undescended testes)) external genitalia), a female gender identity or gender variance, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (hypogonadism despite high levels of gonadotropins), delayed, impaired, or fully absent puberty with an associated reduction in or complete lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics (sexual infantilism), impaired fertility or complete sterility, tall stature (due to delayed epiphyseal closure), eunuchoid skeletal proportions, delayed or absent bone maturation, and osteoporosis.

Isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency (ILD), also called isolated 17,20-desmolase deficiency, is a rare endocrine and autosomal recessive genetic disorder which is characterized by a complete or partial loss of 17,20-lyase activity and, in turn, impaired production of the androgen and estrogen sex steroids. The condition manifests itself as pseudohermaphroditism (partially or fully underdeveloped genitalia) in males, in whom it is considered to be a form of intersex, and, in both sexes, as a reduced or absent puberty/lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics, resulting in a somewhat childlike appearance in adulthood (if left untreated).

Unlike the case of combined 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency, isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency does not affect glucocorticoid production (or mineralocorticoid levels), and for that reason, does not result in adrenal hyperplasia or hypertension.

Isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH), also called idiopathic or congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH), as well as isolated or congenital gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency (IGD), is a condition which results in a small subset of cases of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) due to deficiency in or insensitivity to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) where the function and anatomy of the anterior pituitary is otherwise normal and secondary causes of HH are not present.

The most notable features of Wilson-Turner Syndrome are intellectual disability, obesity, hypogonadism, gynecomastia, and distinct facial features. All of the symptoms are chronic. Affected females are known to have less severe signs and symptoms than males. Female carriers of the disorder may have none or mild symptoms.

- Intellectual Disability is the limitation in an individual's mental functioning and skills. Patients of Wilson-Turner Syndrome have mental disability generally ranging from mild to severe, more frequently on the former. This symptom often coincides with delay in speech development and the occurrence of mood swings. Most males were noted to have a quiet and a cheerful disposition. However, individuals who displayed aggression and became easily upset were also seen. Children will display a delay in speech development often combined with excessive drooling and low voice tone. Some of the studied male patients had speech impairment ranging from little or no speech to minor stuttering.

- Obesity is the accumulation of excess fat on the body. Individuals with Wilson-Turner Syndrome are characterized to have truncal obesity, meaning the fat has accumulated in one's middle. Truncal obesity is often related to heart disease, kidney disease, and lowered blood immune system. Truncal obesity in this disorder becomes more apparent around the age of puberty.

- Tapered fingers is when one end of the finger is diminished in thickness, causing the ends of the fingers to appear pointed. This deformity is not debilitating in any particular manner. In addition to tapered fingers, both hands and feet tend to be small. Some males were observed to have pes planus, also known as flat feet.

- Hypogonadism is a condition in which the gonads have a decrease in function. This condition may result from the lack of sex hormone synthesis, such as androgen and estrogen. Hormones produced by the gonads may also decrease. Hypogonadism also influences the onset of other conditions of the Wilson-Turner Syndrome, such as gynecomastia and decreased testes size in males. It can also cause short stature in men and women. In addition to little genital development, pubic and body hair are scant.

- Some of the facial features that are associated with Wilson-Turner Syndrome include small head circumference, high forehead, prominent ears, and nose with a flattened bridge. There have been cases of a moderately high palate. Low muscle tone and subcutaneous swelling in facial tissue has also been noted. Thick eyebrows are also common. However, there has been reported cases where individuals had none of the mentioned facial features, which shows phenotypic abnormalities have possible environmental influences.

- Gynecomastia is a non-cancerous increase in male breast tissue. It is believed that disturbances in the endocrine system leads to an increase in estrogen and androgen hormones lead to the development of gynecomastia. A key feature of gynecomastia is a rubbery or firm glandular subcutaneous chest tissue that is palpated under the areola of the nipple, instead of the soft fatty tissue. There can also be in increase in diameter of the areola asymmetry in the chest tissue. The breast enlargement can occur in one or both side. Similar to truncal obesity, gynecomastia becomes apparent around the age of puberty.

Leydig cell hypoplasia (or aplasia) (LCH), also known as Leydig cell agenesis, is a rare autosomal recessive genetic and endocrine syndrome affecting an estimated 1 in 1,000,000 genetic males. It is characterized by an inability of the body to respond to luteinizing hormone (LH), a gonadotropin which is normally responsible for signaling Leydig cells of the testicles to produce testosterone and other androgen sex hormones. The condition manifests itself as pseudohermaphroditism (partially or fully underdeveloped genitalia), hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (decreased or lack of production of sex steroids by the gonads despite high circulating levels of gonadotropins), reduced or absent puberty (lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics, resulting in sexual infantilism if left untreated), and infertility.

Leydig cell hypoplasia does not occur in biological females as they do not have either Leydig cells or testicles. However, the cause of the condition in males, luteinizing hormone insensitivity, does affect females, and because LH plays a role in the female reproductive system, it can result in primary amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea (absent or reduced menstruation), infertility due to anovulation, and ovarian cysts.

A related condition is follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) insensitivity, which presents with similar symptoms to those of Leydig cell hypoplasia but with the symptoms in the respective sexes reversed (i.e., hypogonadism and sexual infantilism in females and merely problems with fertility in males). Despite their similar causes, FSH insensitivity is considerably less common in comparison to LH insensitivity.

There are a multitude of different etiologies of HH. Congenital causes include the following:

- Chromosomal abnormalities (resulting in gonadal dysgenesis) - Turner's syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome, Swyer's syndrome, XX gonadal dysgenesis, and mosaicism.

- Defects in the enzymes involved in the gonadal biosynthesis of the sex hormones - 17α-hydroxylase deficiency, 17,20-lyase deficiency, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase III deficiency, and lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

- Gonadotropin resistance (e.g., due to inactivating mutations in the gonadotropin receptors) - Leydig cell hypoplasia (or insensitivity to LH) in males, FSH insensitivity in females, and LH and FSH resistance due to mutations in the "GNAS" gene (termed pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A).

Acquired causes (due to damage to or dysfunction of the gonads) include ovarian torsion, vanishing/anorchia, orchitis, premature ovarian failure, ovarian resistance syndrome, trauma, surgery, autoimmunity, chemotherapy, radiation, infections (e.g., sexually-transmitted diseases), toxins (e.g., endocrine disruptors), and drugs (e.g., antiandrogens, opioids, alcohol).

Examples of symptoms of hypogonadism include delayed, reduced, or absent puberty, low libido, and infertility.

Examples of symptoms of hypogonadism with underdevelopment of the Gonads (testicles and ovaries) include delayed, reduced, or absent puberty, low libido, and infertility.

Approximately one-third of all women with Turner syndrome have a thyroid disorder. Usually it is hypothyroidism, specifically Hashimoto's thyroiditis. If detected, it can be easily treated with thyroid hormone supplements.

Turner syndrome does not typically cause intellectual disability or impair cognition. However, learning difficulties are common among women with Turner syndrome, particularly a specific difficulty in perceiving spatial relationships, such as nonverbal learning disorder. This may also manifest itself as a difficulty with motor control or with mathematics. While it is not correctable, in most cases it does not cause difficulty in daily living. Most Turner syndrome patients are employed as adults and lead productive lives.

Also, a rare variety of Turner syndrome, known as "Ring-X Turner syndrome", has about a 60% association with intellectual disability. This variety accounts for around 2–4% of all Turner syndrome cases.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) insensitivity, or ovarian insensitivity to FSH in females, also referable to as ovarian follicle hypoplasia or granulosa cell hypoplasia in females, is a rare autosomal recessive genetic and endocrine syndrome affecting both females and males, with the former presenting with much greater severity of symptomatology. It is characterized by a resistance or complete insensitivity to the effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a gonadotropin which is normally responsible for the stimulation of estrogen production by the ovaries in females and maintenance of fertility in both sexes. The condition manifests itself as hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (decreased or lack of production of sex steroids by the gonads despite high circulating levels of gonadotropins), reduced or absent puberty (lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics, resulting in sexual infantilism if left untreated), amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), and infertility in females, whereas males present merely with varying degrees of infertility and associated symptoms (e.g., decreased sperm production).

A related condition is luteinizing hormone (LH) insensitivity (termed Leydig cell hypoplasia when it occurs in males), which presents with similar symptoms to those of FSH insensitivity but with the symptoms in the respective sexes reversed (i.e., hypogonadism and sexual infantilism in males and merely problems with fertility in females); however, males also present with feminized or ambiguous genitalia (also known as pseudohermaphroditism), whereas ambiguous genitalia does not occur in females with FSH insensitivity. Despite their similar causes, LH insensitivity is considerably more common in comparison to FSH insensitivity.

Women with hypogonadism do not begin menstruating and it may affect their height and breast development. Onset in women after puberty causes cessation of menstruation, lowered libido, loss of body hair and hot flashes. In boys it causes impaired muscle and beard development and reduced height. In men it can cause reduced body hair and beard, enlarged breasts, loss of muscle, and sexual difficulties. A brain tumor (central hypogonadism) may involve headaches, impaired vision, milky discharge from the breast and symptoms caused by other hormone problems.

The symptoms of hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, a subtype of hypogonadism, include late, incomplete or lack of development at puberty, and sometimes short stature or the inability to smell; in females, a lack of breasts and menstrual periods, and in males a lack of sexual development, e.g., facial hair, penis and testes enlargement, deepening voice.

Wilson-Turner Syndrome (WTS), also known as Mental Retardation X Linked Syndromic 6 (MRXS6), or Mental Retardation X Linked with Gynecomastia and Obesity is a congenital condition characterized by intellectual disability and associated with childhood-onset obesity. It is found to be linked to the X chromosome and caused by a mutation in the HDAC8 gene, which is located on the q arm at locus 13.1. Individuals with Wilson–Turner syndrome have a spectrum of physical characteristics including dysmorphic facial feature, hypogonadism, and short stature. Females generally have milder phenotype than males. The study of X-linked mental retardation began in 1943 when Martin and Bell reported a family exhibiting sex-linked mental retardation. However, this syndrome was not recognized until 1991. Wilson studied 14 males from 3 successive generations that presented hypogonadism, mental retardation, gynecomastia, short stature, among other symptoms. Eventually, this disorder was ruled distinct from a syndrome presented by Prader and Willi (Prader-Willi syndrome) because of its mode of inheritance, gynecomastia, and presence of small hands and feet. However, there are some speculations that this syndrome is in the same spectrum as the Cornelia de Lange syndrome. This disorder affects all demographics equally and is seen in less than one in one million people.

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), also known as secondary or central hypogonadism, as well as gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency or gonadotropin deficiency (GD), is a condition which is characterized by hypogonadism due to an impaired secretion of gonadotropins, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), by the pituitary gland in the brain, and in turn decreased gonadotropin levels and a resultant lack of sex steroid production.

FSH insensitivity presents itself in females as two clusters of symptoms: 1) hypergonadotropic hypogonadism or hypoestrogenism, resulting in a delayed, reduced, or fully absent puberty and associated sexual infantilism (if left untreated), reduced uterine volume, and osteoporosis; and 2) ovarian dysgenesis or failure, resulting in primary or secondary amenorrhea, infertility, and normal sized to slightly enlarged ovaries. Males on the other hand are significantly less affected, presenting merely with partial or complete infertility, reduced testicular volume, and oligozoospermia (reduced spermatogenesis).

The syndrome is characterized by alopecia, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, hearing loss, intellectual disability and diabetes mellitus. Electrocardiogram anomalies have also been reported.

People with Renpenning's typically begin learning language at an ordinary pace, but by the age of 3–4 they experience a regression in mental and physical development, such as mild low muscle tone resulting in elongated faces and rapid loss in the normal growth of the head (microcephaly). Small testes and short stature are also known to commonly occur.

There are several aspects of PWS that support the concept of growth hormone deficiency in individuals with PWS. Specifically, individuals with PWS have short stature, are obese with abnormal body composition, have reduced fat free mass (FFM), have reduced lean body mass (LBM) and total energy expenditure, and have decreased bone density.

PWS is characterized by hypogonadism. This is manifested as undescended testes in males and benign premature adrenarche in females. Testes may descend with time or can be managed with surgery or testosterone replacement. Adrenarche may be treated with hormone replacement therapy.

In medicine, Infantilism is an obsolete term for various, often unrelated disorders of human development, up to developmental disability, which consist of retention of the physical and/or psychological characteristics of early developmental stages (infant, child) into a relatively advanced age.

Various types of infantilism were recognized, lumped together in the above superficial description. With better understanding of the endocrine system and genetic disorders, various disorders which included the word "infantilism" received other names. For example, Brissaud's infantilism, described by Édouard Brissaud in 1907 is now known as myxedema (a form of hypothyroidism); "intestinal infantilism" of Christian Archibald Herter is called coeliac disease. The Turner syndrome was described as "a syndrome of infantilism" by Henry Turner himself.

Terms such as "genital infantilism" (infantilism in development of genitals, hypogenitalism), or "sexual infantilism" (lack of sexual development after expected puberty or delayed puberty) may still be seen, and are considered to be synonyms of hypogonadism. "Somatic infantilism" refers to infantilism of overall bodily development. Speech infantilism is a speech disorder.

Similarly to some other medical terms (cretinism, idiotism), "infantilism"/"infantile" may be used pejoratively (synonymous to "immature").

GMS syndrome is a syndrome characterised by goniodysgenesis, intellectual disability, and short stature.

Renpenning's syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder recognised in males that causes intellectual disability, mild growth retardation with examples in the testes and head, and a somewhat short stature. The condition only affects males, starting at birth, and was first characterized in 1962. but first described by Hans Renpenning in 1963 after he documented these traits on many children in one family alone.

It can be associated with "PQBP1".

Prader–Willi syndrome is frequently associated with a constant, extreme, ravenous insatiable appetite which persists no matter how much the patient eats, often resulting in morbid obesity. Caregivers need to strictly limit the patients' access to food, usually by installing locks on refrigerators and on all closets and cabinets where food is stored. It is the most common genetic cause of morbid obesity in children. There is currently no consensus as to the cause for this symptom, although genetic abnormalities in chromosome 15 disrupt the normal functioning of the hypothalamus. Given that the hypothalamus arcuate nucleus regulates many basic processes, including appetite, there may well be a link. In the hypothalamus of people with PWS, nerve cells that produce oxytocin, a hormone thought to contribute to satiety, have been found to be abnormal.

People with Prader–Willi syndrome have high ghrelin levels, which are thought to directly contribute to the increased appetite, hyperphagia, and obesity seen in this syndrome. Cassidy states the need for a clear delineation of behavioral expectations, the reinforcement of behavioural limits and the establishment of regular routines.

The main mental health difficulties experienced by people with PWS include compulsive behaviour (usually manifested in skin picking) and anxiety. Psychiatric symptoms, for example, hallucinations, paranoia and depression, have been described in some cases and affect approximately 5–10% of young adults. Patients are also often extremely stubborn and prone to anger. Psychiatric and behavioural problems are the most common cause of hospitalization.

It is typical for to 70–90% of affected individuals to develop behavioral patterns in early childhood. Aspects of these patterns can include stubbornness, temper tantrums, controlling and manipulative behavior, difficulty with change in routine, and compulsive-like behaviors.