Precocious puberty

From ArticleWorld

Precocious puberty is the condition of developing puberty before the actual expected time. This can happen in both boys and girls. In some cases, the condition can be completely normal with the exception that it happens at an early age.

Definitions

Idiopathic central precocious puberty may be partial and involve only some secondary sexual features or complete. It may also be transient and stop at some phase before completing puberty at a normal age. This kind of puberty has no known cause.

Central puberty is a term used to describe the inappropriate release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in a defective hypothalamus. When GnRH is released, the onset of puberty begins and is perpetuated.

A child can also develop a condition called peripheral precocious puberty in which tumors of the adrenal gland or gonads release sexual hormones, resulting in secondary sexual features. There is also some thought that sedentary lifestyles, environmental estrogens and obesity can factor in the development of this disorder.

Measurement

Precocious puberty is defined by any of the following conditions: (1) Pubic hair or genital enlargement in boys under 9 years of age. (2) Breast development in boys. (3) Pubic hair occurring before 8 years of age in girls. (4) Breast development in girls before the age of 7. (5) The onset of menarche in girls before the age of 10 years.

Medical issues

Precocious puberty can indicate the presence of a systemic disease or tumor in the brain or elsewhere. In addition, puberty at any age induces bone maturation so that these children are often shorter than their peers. Children who undergo precocious puberty are fully functional reproductively. The youngest known female to give birth was just under 6 years of age.