Parents need to pay attention to signs of early puberty in children.

A 7-year-old girl, 1.2m tall and weighing nearly 27kg, was injected with hormones by the doctor to suppress early puberty.

According to doctors, height and weight are above the threshold for age. Blood test results measured high levels of female hormones (estradiol), and GnRH stimulation test to diagnose precocious puberty was positive.

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The doctor diagnosed the child with central precocious puberty, with the hypothalamus-pituitary axis maturing, stimulating the gonads to secrete hormones. The patient's lifestyle habits, family history, and brain MRI results all showed no abnormalities, so the conclusion was that the child had unexplained precocious puberty.

The child was injected with a drug that inhibits the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, helping hormones return to normal. This drug also helps prevent premature bone ossification, and helps the child's height development not be inferior to that of his peers.

After 4 injections, the most recent in May, the baby's hormone levels returned to pre-puberty levels, height increased by 8cm, breasts remained at level 3, other secondary sexual characteristics were not yet developed, and psychology was normal.

In addition to the above case, many cases of children waking up early have been effectively treated at Tam Anh General Hospital.

Accordingly, in the first 6 months of 2024, the number of children coming to the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes for examination and treatment of early puberty increased significantly.

In May and June alone, the number of children examined for early puberty increased by 47% compared to the same period last year. According to doctors, the reason may be that recently parents are more concerned about early puberty. This is also the time of summer vacation, suitable for children to be examined and treated.

Puberty in girls is usually between 8 and 12 years old, and in boys between 9 and 13 years old. A child is said to have precocious puberty when the changes in the body occur before the age of 8 in girls and before the age of 9 in boys. The risk of precocious puberty in girls is 4-10 times higher than in boys.

Dr. Hoang Kim Uoc, Head of the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes, diagnosed precocious puberty through clinical examination, collecting accurate data on height, weight, living habits...

Related tests that may be ordered include blood tests, ultrasound to determine the level of development of the mammary glands, uterus and ovaries in girls, testicles in boys, X-ray to determine bone age, and GnRH stimulation test.

Doctor Uoc said that the trend of early puberty is increasing rapidly. When children show signs of early development, parents should take their children to see an endocrinologist.

The rate of precocious puberty in children ranges from 1/5,000 to 1/10,000. Precocious puberty is one of the causes of children feeling self-conscious about their appearance and increases the risk of sexual abuse in children.

According to research, puberty occurs when the brain begins to produce a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

This hormone travels to the pituitary gland to stimulate the production of estrogen (a hormone involved in the growth and development of female sexual characteristics) and testosterone (a hormone responsible for the growth and development of male sexual characteristics).

Precocious puberty in children can be caused by many other reasons such as tumors in the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, brain or due to central nervous system problems, hormonal disorders, brain trauma, family medical history or some rare genetics. In many cases, the specific cause of precocious puberty is not found.

Central precocious puberty is a condition in which puberty begins too early, but the steps in the puberty process do not appear abnormal, and the child does not have any underlying medical problems. Therefore, in most cases of central precocious puberty, the exact cause cannot be determined.

Precocious puberty can occur for a variety of reasons, and in many cases the cause is unknown. However, parents can reduce the risk of precocious puberty in their children by taking the following preventive measures:

Implement a balanced diet to avoid overweight and obesity in children, especially girls.

Have your child have regular health check-ups as recommended by the Ministry of Health. Do not let your child use cosmetics early or use drugs that affect the child's sex hormones.

Note, currently some opinions say that early puberty in children is related to giving children a lot of milk every day, so many parents have cut off their children's milk supply.

There is currently no scientific evidence on this issue. Cutting off the child's milk supply causes calcium deficiency, affecting the child's resistance and height.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/cha-me-can-chu-y-dau-hieu-day-thi-som-o-tre-d219594.html