Precocious Puberty Symptoms & Causes
Precocious puberty refers to the early development of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8 years in girls and before the age of 9 years in boys. These characteristics might include breast development in girls, testicular and penile enlargement in boys, and pubic hair in both. Most children with precocious puberty might grow fast to begin with, but they might also stop growing before reaching their full genetic height potential.
Let’s understand the signs and symptoms associated with precocious puberty, including its causes. We'll also go over how to treat it, if necessary.
What Causes Precocious Puberty?
Most commonly, early puberty is simply the speeding up of normal puberty. Occasionally, tumors or growths on the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or hypothalamus can cause this condition. However, the cause of the disorder is not always known.
Two types of Precocious puberty:
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Gonadotropin-dependent: It is also known as central precocious puberty or CPP. This form of puberty might be caused by an abnormality in the pituitary gland or hypothalamus.
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Gonadotropin-independent: It is also known as peripheral precocious puberty or PPP. Here, the cause of early puberty might be the early release of high levels of sex hormones from the ovaries in girls, the testes in boys and the adrenal glands in both girls and boys.
Signs of Precocious Puberty
Girls:
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Breast development
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Pubic hair
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Growth spurt
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Early menses
Boys:
Treatment
The treatment options vary based on the cause of precocious puberty. For CPP, synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone therapy (GnRH) might be offered. It prevents the pituitary gland from releasing gonadotropin hormones. It is typically given as an injection or via an implant.
The goal of treatment is to halt the progression of early puberty and allow time for growth.
For more information, please visit us at kapendocrine.com or call 615-857-5110 to speak with Dr. Nidhi Gupta.