Children show signs of early puberty, what should parents do?

Early puberty: Children at risk of being short and having psychological difficulties

Recently, the media has reported a significant increase in cases of children being treated for early puberty, in which some children aged 6-8 years old have shown signs of puberty, causing many parents to worry.

MSc.-BSCKI Nguyen Thi Thu Huong - Department of Endocrinology, FV Hospital said that precocious puberty is a condition in which children show signs of puberty at an earlier age than normal, specifically before the age of 8 in girls and before the age of 9 in boys.

Many 8 year old girls have signs of puberty.

PHOTO: FREEPIK

"Symptoms of early puberty include rapid growth, acne, hair growth, mood changes, body odor... Girls develop breasts and have periods. Boys' voices change, testicles and penis develop, and ejaculation occurs. Statistics show that the rate of early puberty in girls is four times higher than in boys," said Dr. Huong.

Most cases of precocious puberty have no cause, in which a small percentage are due to pituitary tumors or hormonal disorders, genetics... With today's modern lifestyle, there are still some factors that are recorded as contributing to precocious puberty: obesity, unbalanced diet, poor food quality, environmental pollution, as well as children's psychological problems,...

Early puberty is not only a problem of "premature maturity", but also negatively affects children's physical and mental health. "First is the problem of height. The early appearance of sex hormones will quickly ossify cartilage into bone, at which time the bones quickly lengthen, the child's height increases dramatically during this period. Once the raw material, cartilage, is completely ossified, the bone ends close early, the child will stop growing in height at around 12 years old in girls and 15 years old in boys," Dr. Thu Huong explained.

Furthermore, the appearance of vaginal discharge and later the appearance of the first menstrual cycles in girls as well as the increase in testicular size and ejaculation in boys at such a young age, they do not have enough awareness and skills to care for their genitals, leading to the risk of diseases in this organ.

"The body develops at such a young age, children are at risk of abuse, which can lead to unfortunate consequences. In addition, changes in psychology lead to changes in temperament: anger, anxiety, physical differences with peers, etc., which can cause children to become depressed and autistic," said Dr. Huong.

MSc.-BSCKI Nguyen Thi Thu Huong - Department of Endocrinology, FV Hospital said that early puberty negatively affects children's development.

Treating precocious puberty requires a comprehensive strategy

When parents notice signs of early puberty in their children (girls have breast tenderness before the age of 8 and boys have their voices break before the age of 9), they should take their children to an endocrinologist, especially a pediatric endocrinologist, for examination.

FV Hospital's Endocrinology Department has over 15 years of experience in diagnosing and treating precocious puberty. First, children are examined by endocrinologists. Doctors perform the necessary tests to make a diagnosis: breast ultrasound and abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the uterus and ovaries in girls, testicular ultrasound in boys, and hand X-rays to provide information on bone age.

Next, the child will undergo a static blood test to evaluate sex hormones, tests to find the cause if any such as prolactin, thyroid function, betaHCG-secreting tumors, etc. If the static test shows that sex hormones are still low and the above imaging results suggest that puberty is progressing, the child will undergo a stimulation test with the drug diphereline to confirm the diagnosis. Finally, the child will undergo an MRI of the pituitary gland to rule out tumors if present, and is a mandatory step before deciding on puberty suppression treatment.

Hand X-rays provide information about bone age.

PHOTO: FREEPIK

When precocious puberty is identified, children will be treated with puberty blockers, with injections repeated every 1-3 cycles. "The goal of puberty blockers is to optimize height at adulthood," Dr. Huong explained. The treatment plan will be discussed in detail with the child's parents after each follow-up visit.

After stopping the suppressive treatment, it takes 6 months to 1.5 years for the pubertal cycle to restart. By the time puberty starts again, the children will have reached their optimal height growth, with girls growing 15-20 cm and boys growing 20-25 cm.

To treat children with precocious puberty, FV coordinates multidisciplinary teams between endocrinologists and obstetricians and gynecologists in guiding parents and children in taking care of their sexual health, and psychologists support psychological and physiological issues, when necessary.

Coping with Early Puberty: Keep a Close Eye on Your Child's Development

To prevent early puberty, parents should create a reasonable diet for their children with adequate minerals, vitamins, protein, fiber, limit fast food, foods high in sugar, and fat combined with a reasonable sports regimen.

Obese children are at risk of early puberty.

PHOTO: FREEPIK

Most early puberty is idiopathic, so parents need to equip themselves with knowledge about the first signs of puberty. In fact, when a girl has her first menstrual cycle or a boy has wet dreams, it means she is almost done with puberty, but this is not a sign of entering puberty.

Doctor Huong recommends that it is necessary to promptly detect the first signs of puberty onset and take children to the right endocrinologist, so that children can be diagnosed as soon as possible and promptly come up with reasonable treatment plans, coordinating many specialties for each individual.

For examination and consultation on treatment of precocious puberty in children, parents can contact the Department of Endocrinology, FV Hospital or via phone: (028)35113333.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tre-co-bieu-hien-day-thi-som-cha-me-can-phai-lam-gi-185250423172818638.htm