More and more children, especially girls, are experiencing precocious puberty. The treatment is relatively simple, but above all necessary to avoid permanently stopping the growth of these children.
It is an extremely rare case that has moved the whole earth last week. Emily Dover, a little Australian girl, saw her period appear… at 4 years old. And all the other outward signs of puberty followed. While it is true that her case is linked to a curable hormonal disease, more and more cases of precocious puberty are being reported.
It often starts with a startling complaint, “My chest hurts!” »And the observation by a dazed mother, that at the place designated by the girl, two small breasts are being formed. It may also be the unexpected arrival of rules.
Before 9 years old
Normal puberty appears between 9 and 13 years old for girls (average 11 years old) and 11 and 15 years old for boys (average 13 years old). You have to worry when the first signs are at 8, 9 years old, or even before. Because precocious puberty is not without consequences.
Hormones, secreted too early, trigger a process, normal but premature, which will result, among other things, in the appearance of hair, swelling of the testicles or the onset of menstruation. Nothing that may seem serious, if not unpleasant for children whose psychological maturation remains at their calendar age.
Growth arrest
But only one symptom is medically worrying and not very visible at the time of puberty: the stopping of growth. The bone receives the signal that it has reached adulthood from hormones. Growth is therefore stopped. It is harmonious, but the child will keep a size much smaller than normal for life.
Any suspicion of precocious puberty should be explored by a specialist. The examinations do not require more than half a day in the hospital. The hormones are first dosed, the level of which is always too high. Then a wrist x-ray gives a very precise indication of the real age of the bones. If all these tests confirm precocious puberty, an MRI of the pituitary gland, a small gland located in the middle of the brain, responsible for the secretion of hormones, is requested. In more than 90% of cases, this reassuring assessment will make it possible to begin injections of a product that will slow down the production of hormones. A treatment for which we have more than 25 years of experience and which has never shown side effects, apart from exceptional cases of allergy. The results are quick, but the bites must be continued for two years.
Psychological impact
Medicine has long forgotten the psychological impact of the too rapid arrival of a child in the hormonal world of adults. The situation is not easy to manage when the physique of a child becomes that of a teenager, in the midst of friends who have remained pre-pubescent. It is essential to take this aspect of precocious puberty into account, to talk about it and to get help from psychologists who are familiar with the simple answers to be given to the child and his family.
Endocrine disruptors
For specialists, there remains the enigma of the increasing frequency of cases. Certainly heredity is an important factor and a mother or a father who has experienced this problem, must be vigilant. But today substances are pointed out and widely suspected: endocrine disruptors are. These chemicals – like phthalates, bisphenols, parabens, flame retardants, etc… are omnipresent in pesticides, insecticides, plastics, toys, cosmetics… They have an activity “ estrogen-like »That is to say that they alter the hormonal system of the human being by mimicking the effect of natural estrogen: the process of puberty can start earlier.
Obesity
Another serious avenue: the change in eating habits over the past thirty years. In particular, the wave of obesity which is sweeping the industrialized world and which says overweight or obesity, says excess fat cells. However, these cells, the adipocytes are capable of manufacturing steroids, in particular natural estrogen … Pediatricians have indeed observed that a gradual weight gain from an early age with a rebound in the body curve towards 3 -4 years old is very often responsible for precocious puberty in girls.
So what to do to prevent precocious puberty? While it is very difficult to remove all endocrine disruptors from our environment, we still need to monitor children’s diets and consume as little as possible of processed products. They should also be encouraged to more physical activity and especially consult as soon as there is a budding of the breasts or an increase in the testicles with changes in the behavior of his child.
.