Is my child going through early puberty?

Puberty is the stage in which a boy or girl becomes sexually mature. This change is caused by hormones in the brain signaling the body to start producing sex hormones, primarily estrogen in girls and testosterone in boys. Puberty normally occurs in girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years and between 12 and 16 years among boys.

“Precocious puberty,” or early puberty, is when a child begins to experience the signs of puberty earlier than normal, typically before age 8 years among girls and age 9 years among boys.

Signs of puberty in girls include:

Breast development;
Pubic and other body hair growth;
Growth spurt;
Widening of the hips;
Acne; and
Start of menstruation.

Signs of puberty in boys include:

Testicle growth;
Growth of pubic, facial and other body hair;
Penis growth;
Growth spurt;
Deepening of the voice;
Muscle growth; and
Acne.

To determine whether a child has entered puberty, a clinician will complete a physical exam and compare findings with the 5-point Tanner scale. The scale charts the progression of pubertal changes.

Other than examining the physical signs of puberty, a health care provider may conduct a variety of tests to determine precocious puberty, including:

Blood work to measure hormone levels;
X-ray to determine bone growth;
MRI or CT scan to identify if brain abnormalities are causing early puberty; and
Thyroid testing if a child exhibits signs of hypothyroidism.

Short height is a possible complication of precocious puberty, due to the rapid maturation of the bones that then stop growing earlier than usual. In addition to physical complications, children with early onset puberty may feel self-conscious and could face both social and emotional complications.

If there is no underlying medical condition, children with precious puberty can often be treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist analogue therapy. This therapy includes a monthly injection to postpone any additional development. Once the child reaches the normal age of puberty the medication is stopped and puberty resumes after approximately 16 months.

Though less likely, it is possible that a child’s precocious puberty may be caused by an underlying medical issue, such as:

A brain tumor;
Head trauma;
An infection; or
A problem in the ovaries or thyroid gland.

In these instances, the underlying issue would be treated first to delay puberty.

Additional information may be found at these websites:

http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.evKRI7OXIoJ8H/b.8277367/k.CEF9/Precocious_Puberty.htm

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/puberty/conditioninfo/Pages/symptoms.aspx

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/puberty.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/precocious-puberty/basics/definition/con-20029745

http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/teens/puberty-sexuality/puberty-what-to-expect-when-your-child-goes-through-puberty.printerview.all.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sexual/precocious.html#