Early puberty, precocious puberty?
Oct 04, 2024
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So when is the average secondary sexual period and how early can puberty be diagnosed as precocious puberty?
Choi Jeong-eun, a professor of pediatrics at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, explained the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty.
Professor Choi said "If the secondary sexual characteristics appear under the age of 8 for girls and under the age of 9 for boys, it can be called precocious puberty.
"The biggest feature of secondary sexual characteristics is that girls develop breasts, and the remaining testicles grow larger and conspiracies develop."
The secondary sexual characteristics, commonly called puberty, progresses from the age of 10 to 14 in which girls remain from the age of 9 to 13. If it is about a year earlier than this period, it is called 'Early puberty' If it is about a year later, it is called 'Adolescence Delay'.
It is a combination of genetics, nutrition (obesity), social background, and environmental hormones that affect adolescence, and if parents' puberty was early, their children could be early, so genetic factors are affected by 70-80%.
Professor Choi said, `If adolescence begins quickly, it seems to grow well at first, but the adult height may be shorter than a child whose puberty begins normally due to an earlier bone ageHe advised that parents' attention is needed because it can be a problem not only in " but also in psychological areas such as heterogeneity with peers".
How can I diagnose and treat precocious puberty if it is suspected after observing the child?
Professor Choi explained, `To determine the diagnosis and progress of precocious puberty, medical history, examination, bone age test, and sex hormone test are conducted, and if diagnosed with precocious puberty, sex hormone secretion is suppressed by injecting precocious puberty treatment subcutaneously or intramuscularly into the arm or buttocks to match the development of puberty with peers.'
In order to confirm precocious puberty, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test is generally performed, and if LH increases to 5.0 IU/L or more as a result of the test, and bone age increases and secondary sexual development is accompanied, it is diagnosed as genuine precocious puberty.
In addition, imaging tests such as pelvic ultrasound and MRI are also conducted as necessary.
The treatment period usually takes two to five years, and sexual maturity and growth are evaluated every three to six months during treatment, and bone age tests are regularly performed.
Professor Choi explained, "The main purpose of treating precocious puberty is to align adolescent development with peers, minimize the loss of final adult height, and reduce psychosocial problems"As early as possible, and steady treatment can increase the effectiveness."
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