Puberty is the time when a person's sexual and physical characteristics mature. Precocious puberty is when these body changes happen earlier than normal.
Pubertas praecox
Puberty usually begins between ages 8 and 14 for girls and ages 9 and 16 for boys.
The exact age a child enters puberty depends on a number of factors, including family history, nutrition, and sex.
Most often there is no clear cause for precocious puberty. Some cases are due to changes in the brain, genetic problems, or certain tumors that release hormones. These conditions include:
In girls, precocious puberty is when any of the following develop before age 8:
In boys, precocious puberty is when any of the following develop before age 9:
Depending on the cause, treatment for precocious puberty may include:
Children with early sexual development may have psychological and social problems. Children and adolescents want to be the same as their peers. Early sexual development can make them appear different. Parents can support their child by explaining the condition and how the doctor plans to treat it. Talking to a mental health worker or counselor may also help.
Erica Eugster is an Endocrinologist and a Pediatric Endocrinologist in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eugster has been practicing medicine for over 33 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Precocious Puberty. She is also highly rated in 17 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Precocious Puberty, Intersex, Mccune-Albright Syndrome, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and Orchiectomy. She is licensed to treat patients in Indiana. Eugster is currently accepting new patients.
Vinicius Brito practices in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brito is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Precocious Puberty. He is also highly rated in 9 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Precocious Puberty, Hypothalamic Hamartomas, Intersex, Hypopituitarism, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
Ana Latronico practices in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Latronico is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Precocious Puberty. She is also highly rated in 22 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Precocious Puberty, Isolated Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism, Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism, Hypogonadism, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
Children who go through puberty too early may not reach their full height because growth stops too early.
See your child's provider if:
Adult prescription medicines and dietary supplements that contain hormones should not be consumed by children.
Your child should maintain a healthy weight.
Summary: The COPENHAGEN School Study is a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study of healthy Danish school children. This study will by clinical examinations and withdrawal of blood samples investigate whether age of pubertal onset is continuing to decline in Denmark over the past 15 years. Furthermore, we will investigate the mechanism driving earlier onset of puberty and the long term health risk...
Summary: Our study used a randomized controlled trial to validate the clinical efficacy of a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of children with rapid progressive central precocious puberty.
Published Date: August 10, 2021
Published By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Garibaldi LR, Chemaitilly W. Disorders of pubertal development. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 578.
Haddad NG, Eugster EA. Precocious puberty. In: Jameson JL, De Groot LJ, de Kretser DM, et al, eds. Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 121.