To post here for traffic ... questions re puberty in boys

[Squaddielife]

Apologies in advance to post here but there seems to be very little information regarding early puberty in boys on the internet.

For background ...

DS is 9, has had BO for a couple of years, some downy hair down below for 12 months. Slightly enlarged testicles.

Dr referred to Endo who did bloods. Testosterone is low, others borderline with 1 result high (can't remember which sorry and waiting clarification on that). Also did bone xray... came back as 9yrs 7mths.

So, we have to decide whether to treat for precocious puberty and I'm struggling.

Has anyone been through this treatment with boys who showed similar signs/results ? DS seems so borderline i'm not sure it's necessary but on the flip side I don't want to bury my head in the sand and store up issues for say a years time.

Thanks

Sorry meant to ask - how tall is he now, what centile, and how tall are you and his father? Niffy pits is pretty normal for 9 yo, and downy hair isn't really proper pubes. Bone age is fine, so unless he's short for his age now I'm not sure I'd do anything to be honest.

Beard growth happens years after the start of puberty!

Hey Titchy

His estimated height (using mum&dads height) is around 5ft 8

He's 138cm ish now (4ft 6) I think !

I know the BO can be considered 'normal' and also the downy hair but coupled with testicular enlargement and borderline bloods they determined that he's started puberty.

I'm trying to understand how far along the puberty journey he is and when we can expect further changes (should we choose not to treat it).

Honestly, if the endo had said to me "Ah he's so borderline and 9 already lets just monitor him and see how it progressed" i would have been cool with that. But.. the fact she, as the professional, has said she's treat it makes me stop and think.

Hopefully they'll explain to you where he's at with reference to puberty stages, which I think you might find helpful.

I think - don't rely on this! - that they can probably estimate how much a boy would normally grow if proceeding through puberty from this point. If, for example, they were to suggest that he would be likely to grow another 8 inches, (with perhaps a +/- 2 inch range?) then in your shoes every year that he can grow another 1 or 2 inches before allowing puberty to proceed could be valuable. If the suggestion is 12 inches further growth from where he is at now, you may feel differently, or perhaps not.

My own children have both grown early - though not pathologically so. In consequence my daughter will very much be the little one of the family; though still taller than average - she is 3 or 4 inches shorter than me. If my husband and I weren't so tall things could look rather different. Our son is nearly as tall as me and will probably pass 6 foot before he turns 13 - thank goodness he is a summer birthday! I'd always expected him to end up taller than his father, but this may now not be by very much. From his (or perhaps my?!) point of view the biggest disadvantage of early puberty is having to stop singing early, he's missed out on opportunities he should have had this year in his choir - but that happens to boys most years in most serious choirs. Just feels unfair ...

I really hope you can get the information to be confident in the decisions you make.

Hi Phython

Yes I do need to understand what point in the puberty journey he's currently at and how long the journey will take from here.

An estimate of height would be helpful i agree. I will add this to my list of questions thanks.

Was your son diagnosed with early puberty then? Did you treat?

Oh no my son wasn't in territory that made me think he was worryingly early. We noticed him starting to grow in the summer term of year 6, so after he was about 10 1/2. (Quite funny actually, he and a friend in choir had been very close in height for nearly 4 years then suddenly oops they weren't)

My sister got her period at 8... I think it’s quite normal now?