What is precocious puberty and how can it impact the emotional development of a child?

Girls and boys who begin puberty long before their peers may be extremely self-conscious about the changes occurring in their bodies. This may affect self-esteem and increase the risk of depression or substance abuse.

How does precocious puberty influence one’s development?

Stunted Growth However, the child will stop growing when puberty ends. This means that a child with precocious puberty will not reach their full height potential because their skeleton matures and bone growth stops at an earlier age than it normally should.

Why does precocious puberty cause advanced bone age?

Statural growth in gonadotropin‐independent precocious puberty. In most patients with severe forms of McCune–Albright syndrome, the excessive estrogen production induces an acceleration of growth velocity and bone age maturation.

Does precocious puberty affect fertility?

Girls who begin puberty early commonly experience problems with regular menstruation; early puberty also could cause infertility for both genders.

Can you reverse precocious puberty?

Q: How is precocious puberty treated? A: The goal of treatment for precocious puberty is to stop, and possibly reverse, the onset of puberty. Treatment will also depend on the type of precocious puberty your child has and the underlying cause, if known.

How does early maturation affect girls?

They found that girls who matured earlier than their peers had increased rates of depression that persisted over the course of the study. Among adolescent girls, early puberty is associated with more depressive disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders and disruptive behavior disorders.

Why are early maturing girls and late maturing boys at risk for emotional problems?

The adolescent brain also remains under development. Up until puberty, brain cells continue to bloom in the frontal region. Adolescents engage in increased risk-taking behaviors and emotional outbursts possibly because the frontal lobes of their brains are still developing.

What are the consequences of early puberty?

Apart from just cutting a girl’s physical childhood short, early puberty is linked to consequences that can reverberate throughout her life. It’s linked to greater risk for breast cancer, teen pregnancy, HPV, heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality, which is the risk of dying from any cause.

Is it necessary to treat precocious puberty?

If another medical condition is causing your child’s precocious puberty, treatment of that condition is necessary to stop the progress of puberty. For example, if a child has a tumor that’s producing hormones and causing precocious puberty, puberty usually will stop when the tumor is surgically removed.

What happens if you get your period at an early age?

Data from four countries suggests a link between starting menstruation by age 11 and earlier menopause. Women who get their first period when they were 11 or younger are more likely to hit menopause before the age of 40, a study finds.

What is precocious puberty in psychology?

Precocious Puberty: When Puberty Starts Early. Page Content. Article Body. Puberty is defined as the presence of secondary sexual characteristics: breast development in girls, pubic hair, and testicular and penile enlargement in boys. Precocious puberty is usually defined as onset of puberty before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys.

Why does puberty occur early in boys and girls?

Rarely, puberty occurs early because the glands that make sex hormones, the ovaries in girls and the testes in boys, start working on their own, earlier than normal. This is called peripheral precocious puberty (PPP). In both boys and girls, the adrenal glands, small glands that sit on top of the kidneys,…

Is there a link between obesity and precocious puberty?

A number of studies have shown an association between obesity in young girls and an increased risk of precocious puberty. However, researchers don’t know how direct the link is. Obesity does not seem to be connected to early puberty in boys.

What are the treatment options for precocious puberty?

Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development. Precocious puberty signs and symptoms include development of the following before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys. Make an appointment with your child’s doctor for an evaluation if your child has any of the signs or symptoms of precocious puberty.