Hormone imbalance in 6 month old?

[WorriedinJanuary]

I am a regular Mumsnetter, but have changed my name for a bit of privacy.

My DD is 6 months old and has got pubic hair which the health visitor described as "downy". I have also noticed today that she has got a few hairs around her nipples. She is otherwise not a hairy child, except for a small patch on her back which she has had since birth and which hasn't yet rubbed off. The pubic hair is a recent development - I first noticed it only a couple of weeks ago, but it is dark and definitely there.

The HV said she hadn't seen it before and the gp, who didn't even look at it, dismissed the issue by saying my baby was pretty (which she is, but that doesn't answer what is causing this).

I am not taking any hormones and don't eat soya. My DD is mostly breastfed (and has formula occasionally). Could it be that my hormones are making this happen? Has anyone ever heard of this and if so, do you know what causes it? I know it is unlikely to be any of the awful things that Google throws up which have made me rigid with fear and suspect it may just be a temporary blip, but would be interested to know if anyone else has come across this before.

TIA

[brandy7]

poor you, what a worry. i would definitely demand that the doctors take another look at your dd and give you reassurance that its either nothing to worry about or is a hormonal inbalance. youre only going to worry everytime you see her hair down there. id be concerned if it was me,unless i was told otherwise. dont let the doctors dismiss you.

sorry no advice but good luck

[Munz]

I have but not so young, as I was 5 when mum noticed these happenings (incl first AF) it was down to a growth on my patitery (sp) gland - basically the female hormone was a growth on the side of the normal sized gland - (this had half male/female equal proportions) I was given steroids, i'm probably not explaining things very well here.

please go back to your dr I was under a pead from 5 until 11 every 3 months.

[WorriedinJanuary]

Thanks.
But it was ok in the end, Munz?

I was planning to stop breastfeeding before going back to the GP, but I think I may go back tomorrow instead.

A family friend who was a hv for 40+ years says she has seen it and that it was benign, but she can't remember what caused it. I know the most likely explanation is that she's getting the hormones from me (as my periods are back) but I think I really need an explanation.

[Munz]

oh yes, please don't worry on that front, i'm fine have had a healthy son, everything is perfectly normal, I was on the steroids from 5 until 11 when the dr's said I could catch up with my peirs as it were - or them me. if it does seem to be something of that nature then i'll be more than happy to pass on my mums email address (she's probably the best person to talk to about it all as I can't remember much) it was very hard for her and dad to deal with, I ahd a lot of MRI scans and blood tests to check the growth etc. and just before I fell PG with J I had another MRI scan jsut to double check and everyhitng is now normal. but and this is a big but here, the dr did say it was very rare so it is probably something far less sinister. could it possibly be your hormones with AF?

my growth was binign (sp) apparently yes.

[WorriedinJanuary]

I think the most likely explanation is that it is something to do with my hormones, as they seem to be pretty "active" compared to the average breastfeeding woman. But if it is something more, then the sooner we get it sorted the better, I feel.

[Munz]

tbh I think that's how mum felt. good luck for tomorrow. in the nicest way possible I hope it's something with you not something with DD.

[WorriedinJanuary]

Thanks - I'm sure it will be fine (well, fingers crossed!).

[WorriedinJanuary]

Ok, the GP thinks that it is just because I am breastfeeding and DD is getting a dose of my hormones. She said she had seen this before a few times and not to stress. Obviously if it doesn't get better after I stop breastfeeding, then some further investigation would be required, but there's no point in putting my DD through that unless absolutely necessary.

I feel more relaxed about it now - I couldn't bear the thought of anything being wrong with my daughter. It's incredible how profoundly one's perspective shifts after having a child... .

[Munz]

you don't have to tell me I understand completely.

fingers crossed it's your hormones - i know babies can have slight bleeding when they're a few days old due to mums hormones leaving their body's or something? so hopefully it's nothing serious. also agree wiht the dr about putting her thru the treatments, J was quite poorly when born and god I hated every minute and and every time they took blood etc so the less the better iycwim.

[Littlefish]

I don't know if its the same thing, but my dd developed small breast lumps when she was about 5 months old, along with a very faint dark line running downwards from below her belly button, just like you get when you are pregnant. I took her to the gp who referred us to the paediatrician.

We saw a lovely paediatrician, who checked dd thoroughly, including asking lots of questions about dd's teeth (she got her first teeth around 4 months old). Obviously they were concerned about precocious puberty.

However, as the breast lumps were not growing, and the line began to fade, the paediatrican came to the conclusion that it was hormones from me, which were still remaining in dd's body. Apparently it can take up to 2 years for maternal hormones to leave a baby's body, even though I only breastfed her for a month. The breast lumps had disappeard completely by the time she was 18 months old.

In your situation, I would go back to the GP and ask again to be referred.

[WorriedinJanuary]

It sounds like your daughter developed her "symptoms" at around the same time as mine, Littlefish. I wonder if there's some reason why these things appear at that age?
I am giving up b/f over the next 3 weeks anyway, so hopefully it should start to disappear after that. If not, I'll take her to see a specialist. She's on my BUPA, so we should be able to act pretty quickly if need be.

[Littlefish]

How odd that they developed at about the same time! I hope you get it sorted soon. Keep chasing it up. Bupa sounds like a good option if necessary. However, we were seen really quickly - within 3 weeks I think.