Preventing early puberty in children

Doctors at the Provincial General Hospital examine a girl for early puberty. Photo: Ha Trang (contributor). — Doctors at the Provincial General Hospital examine a girl for early puberty. *Photo: Ha Trang (contributor).*

According to experts, early puberty is defined as girls showing signs of puberty before the age of 8, boys before the age of 9. Common symptoms are girls developing breasts, having early menstruation; boys having enlarged testicles, penis, broken voice; children growing in height abnormally fast compared to their peers.

There are many factors that lead to this condition. Nutrition plays an important role: Children eat too much processed food, containing growth hormones, excess protein and fat, which can easily stimulate early puberty. In addition, being overweight and obese is also a common cause, when excess fat affects the endocrine system. In addition, living environments with many chemicals and endocrine disruptors in plastics, cosmetics, etc. also have a negative impact on early puberty in children.

As in the case of NND (8 years old, residing in Ha Long ward) who often feels pain in the chest when touched. Worried that her daughter had health problems, her parents took her to the Provincial General Hospital for a check-up. After examination, it was determined that D. had developed breasts, no pubic hair, no armpit hair, and no menstruation. Therefore, to make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor ordered endocrine tests, X-rays, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Based on the criteria, D. was diagnosed with precocious puberty. Although surprised by the diagnosis of precocious puberty, the family felt lucky that their child was examined promptly and diagnosed accurately.

The Department of Pediatrics, Provincial General Hospital, is monitoring, managing, and treating more than 20 children with early puberty, mainly girls, whose initial symptoms are often chest pain and being taller than their peers. For accurate diagnosis, children will be prescribed an X-ray of the left wrist to determine bone age, blood tests to check hormone levels, ultrasound of the uterus and adnexa, ultrasound of the testicles and adrenal glands, and depending on the results, an MRI of the brain may be performed to diagnose the cause.

Measuring children's height at Quang Ninh Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital. — Measuring height for children at Quang Ninh Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital.

At the Provincial Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, there are currently over 30 children being treated for precocious puberty. Every month, through medical examination and treatment, doctors record new cases, most of which are girls.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Lan Linh, Department of Respiratory - Cardiovascular - Digestive - Neurology (Provincial Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital) said: Premature puberty in children can come from many causes. Including diseases, such as tumors in the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, brain, central nervous system diseases, rare genetic syndromes; factors related to lifestyle, environment such as unreasonable diet, overweight and obesity, exposure to chemicals, psychological stress. To prevent, parents should give their children a balanced diet of nutrients and limit their weight, foods with too much nutrients should also be limited; at the same time, children should not be exposed to cultural products beyond their age.

Currently, the main treatment for children with precocious puberty is still hormone injections to slow down growth rate, puberty rate and slow down secondary sexual development. Children who are properly injected with hormones will slow down the process of early puberty and can still achieve the final height according to the genetics of their parents. Psychological pressures are also limited, helping children develop at the right age. Treatment needs to be carried out at specialized medical facilities to ensure safety and effectiveness.

Along with that, raising parents' awareness, preventing and detecting early puberty in children not only helps protect their health and psychology, but also contributes to building a healthy, comprehensively developed young generation, improving the quality of a sustainable population.

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