Pubic hair in a 6 year old girl

[WigWamBam]

I was just helping dd get ready for bed and putting her some barrier cream on (she still has a nappy at night time) and noticed she's developed a considerable amount of public hair. She's always had quite a lot of very fine downy hair on her body, but this is much thicker and is definitely different from the hair she has anywhere else.

I know that they all develop at different times and different rates, and I started my periods early (I was 9) so it would be no surprise if dd was an early starter too, but dd is only just 6 and this seems ridiculously early - is this within the normal range or is it something to be worried about?

I have to admit that I feel a bit strange and quite sad about it; she just seems so young and I wasn't expecting this just yet.

[littlerach]

WWB, my friend's daughter was referred for an ultra sound due to presistent urinary tract problems. It came back negative, and they decided that it was due to undilte urine. Her daughter rarely drinks anything. She comes to our house to play and soemetimes will literally have one sip of water all day. They were told to increase her fluid intake and also to either stop juice, or dilute it dramatically.
She has been a bit better since, although it oes seem to start up again when she is run down.
Good luck!

[WigWamBam]

Oh lovely ...

No, thrush would probably not respond to Sudocreme. But it might well be the bottom-wiping; if she gets poo anywhere near the rest of her bits and pieces it's likely to make them sore. It can cause cystitis as well.

I know that's not dd's problem because I still have to wipe her bottom for her ... but if it means she will use the toilet for a poo then I'm happy to go with that!

[DumbledoresGirl]

No, I have not investigated any of those ideas WWB, so thanks for mentioning them. It gives me something to think about. If it were thrush, it would not be so easily dealt with by Sudocrem would it? I had thrush once and it was really itchy whereas dd seems to be sore rather than itchy.

Don't ask about her bottom wiping habits! None of my children can wipe their bottoms properly. I despair. But her sin is not wiping from back to front but using only one sheet of paper and sort of vaguely dabbing in the direction of her bottom. TMI alert: The other day, she had a bit of a loose bowel movement and ended up with poo all over her hands. Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WigWamBam]

Thanks for that, yoyo. I don't think growth is an issue for dd either, given that she's head-and-shoulders taller than most of the other girls in her class!

DG - I don't know how common it is for little girls to get soreness at this age - but I suspect it's not unusual, reading some of the posts on MN that I've seen.

Do you think she might be wiping herself back to front rather then front to back? Bacteria from the bowel can irritate the urethra and cause soreness.

I assume you've already ruled out thrush? It was the first thing which dd was treated for when all of this started, but they have since decided that it's not. If it is thrush, ironing the gussets of her knickers is a good idea as washing doesn't kill the spores - but the heat of an iron does.

The other thing which has been suggested is that it's a form of dermatitis, caused by bubble baths and washing powder, but dd doesn't have bubbles in her bath any more and it's not the washing powder. I guess you've already gone down those lines as well.

I think that the paed is clutching at straws really; I'm not entirely convinced by any of the things she has suggested and I don't think she is, either!

[yoyo]

WWB - please try not to worry too much. DD1 was monitored for precocious puberty from the age of 7. She had numerous hospital visits, blood tests, and an X-ray to check her "bone age" against her actual age. She had proper pubic hair from the age of seven and had breast buds at that time too. Her Paed was brilliant and very reassuring. Like you I started my periods at 9 and he did say that she would likely start early too but not because of the pubic hair but simply because of the family history. He was absolutely correct as DD started her periods at 11.

They do like to check for growth and suggested that DD be referred to an endocrinologist at one stage but I refused as I didn't think her growth was an issue for her.

Go to your GP and ask for a referral if you want her to be monitored. She will probably be fine.

[DumbledoresGirl]

Thanks for that long post WWB. I am sorry for the continual nightmare that is obviously going on with your dd. It must be so wearing, having these problems and not really getting a clear answer to them.

Reading all your ideas through, I still can't really see where my dd gets her soreness from. It does not hurt her to wee, she has never had a UTI or any suspicion of one, she is not in nappies at night, she is not constipated (although for 2 years she had an anal fissure and every bowel movement was a major trauma but that ended 4 years ago),the lichen thing (urgh!) no that isn't familiar either. About the only thing that fits is that she doesn't drink much so maybe her urine is not dilute enough. Dh and I think she gets sore because she does not wipe properly. It isn't a major problem - if she gets sore the worst thing is she keeps fiddling with herself which looks bad, and Sudocrem always clears it up in one go - but I would so like to know how often it is normal for little girls her age to be getting this soreness.

Good luck with your dd's investigations.

[WigWamBam]

Yes, we've tried cranberry juice. She loves it ... but it doesn't do much good. Thanks anyway!

[bitworried2]

Will do WWB - I'll post again Wed or Thur.

Just a thought - isn'r cranberry juice good for waterworks problems? You've probably tried everything, but I used to get the most awful cystitis and sometimes that helped a bit. It's rather sharp though - not all little ones like it.

Oh dear..all these things to wory about. They're still only babies really aren't they?

[WigWamBam]

Let us know how you get on, bitworried. I can't believe they wouldn't understand why you were concerned, but at least the second GP has taken you seriously!

Bad moods and obstinence, Riss ... dd has those in spades even at 6

DG - where to start with the soreness and the screaming when she wees ... it's driving me to distraction. They always used to treat it as a UTI, but then an emergency GP had some urine tests done which came back negative, and when he looked at dd's records he told me that she has never, ever tested positive for a UTI. So it's only because of that that she's been referred to the paed, and will (finally) get a scan next month. In some areas it's standard practice to have scans done with water infections, in others they are only done where there are repeated symptoms but no sign of infection. If your dd hasn't had one, maybe you could push for one just to put your mind at rest that there's nothing going on within her urinary tract that's causing the problem.

The paed is convinced that dd's soreness has nothing to do with either water infections or problems with her urinary tract, but is doing the scan to make sure. She has suggested a number of things which may be the cause of the soreness; one is the fact that dd is still not dry at night, and she thinks that the urine may be forming crystals which irritate the urethra and cause the soreness. Both she and the GP harp on about barrier creams (which we always use), and she also suggested giving dd a bath in the morning rather than in the evening, as a bath removes stale urine and any crystals better than a wash does. Neither have helped, although we have found one particular barrier cream (Thovaline) is better than most when she's really sore.

She has also suggested that constipation may be either the cause or a contributing factor - and dd has always been a bugger with pooing. Hanging onto poo or being constipated puts pressure onto the urethra and can lead to soreness. The paed also suggested that it works both ways - the vulval soreness can cause constipation because the pain from the vulval area can desensitise them enough that they don't get the message that they need a poo. I don't know whether your dd has similar problems but it's something to consider if she does.

Something else that the paed has suggested is that the soreness could be that the urine isn't dilute enough - that dd isn't drinking enough. It does seem to be worse when she doesn't, but I think that's more because she's already sore and the stronger wee stings more, rather than because the stronger wee is causing the soreness.

She has some other things that she wants dd checking for if the scans are clear. She has suggested lichen sclerosis which looks alarming but given the symptoms I would probably have noticed! She has also mentioned diabetes, which can cause soreness because of sugar in the urine, although dd has always been clear when they have tested her urine for sugar. Again, perhaps it's worth having your dd checked, or buying some Diastix over the counter and checking yourself.

The paed doesn't think that dd has any of these things, though, and it's frustrating when she basically shrugs and says she doesn't have a clue what's causing it, vaginitis doesn't have to have a cause, there's not much you can do to ease it, and you have to listen to your child scream in pain when she wees.

[DumbledoresGirl]

WWB! What a shock! My dd is 7 and I would faint if she developed pubes I think. But then, I am a later developer than you. Pubic hair does definitely (I think?! ) come before periods so I suppose you are looking at another early starter.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was that my dd also gets a lot of soreness in that area - I think I have spoken to you about it before. If you are seeing a paediatrician about this, I would be grateful for any thoughts you could pass on to me as to how normal this is, what causes it, what I should do when it occurs....

[Riss70]

I am so glad to have read this and empathise with all you MN's going through it

I would have died if my DD (5) started showing signs next year as I was 15 before ANY hint of puberty struck (besides bad moods and obstinence)

now that I ave read this I will try and remember get it checked but it may well be fairly common place for this generation

[bitworried2]

Thankyou SO much for starting this thread WWB. I have been terribly worried about my own dd (5.5yrs) for exactly the same reason, and nearly started a thread myself a few times.

She, like your dd, has always been 'downy', but this year definate pubic hair has appeared. She is also very tall for her age. No other signs though.

I took her to one dr who dismissed it, but didn't explain much and I felt I shouldn't have even mentioned it. I was still worried so I took her to another doctor.

He didn't even look but referred us to a paediatrician whom we see next week. I'll post back on here and let you know what they say.

Both the doctors I saw asked me why it worried me, but seemed bemused when I said because she's so young. I mean you'd think it was obvious why I was concerned. I felt almost about to cry with worry about it in the surgery. I had looked up some things online about it, but I think that made my worries worse. Nothing like a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.

Anyway, I have been playing the whole thing down hugely with dd. I don't want her worried or compromised in any way over this.

I am a regular of some years on mn, but a name changer for this, because I don't know if people who are in contact with my dd use this site and I wish to protect her privacy.

[WigWamBam]

UC - we have used The Body Book by Claire Rayner for dd, as well as chatted to her about things when she's asked questions (and she asks a lot of questions!).

Your poor friend, jampots. Must have been truly awful for her.

[jampot]

WWB - good news about going for scan anyway.

My friend was in a bad way as before they operated they told her it was cancer Obviously she was relieved it wasnt!

[unpaidcleaner]

My 8yo is getting hair as well. Can anyone recommend a good book on puberty for her?

[unpaidcleaner]

My 8yo is getting hair as well. Can anyone recommend a good book on puberty?

[WigWamBam]

Wow Jampot - that must have been worrying for your friend. We are actually taking dd for a scan of her kidneys next month (waterworks/sore fanjo problems) so I guess if it's anything like that it will show up on the scan.

I'm going to make an appointment with the GP on Monday, so hopefully will be able to see him within a day or two. I need to do it for my own peace of mind as well as dd's wellbeing - am a bit concerned that taking her will make her anxious about it but it has to be done.

Thank you all.

[suedonim]

I'd take her to the dr, WWW, if only to put your mind at rest. Precocious puberty can result in a child not growing to their full height so it is quite important to have it checked out.

My dd started breast development when she was about 8yo, which seemed v young esp as she's so skinny. My GP was great with her and even did some extra research on the subject. Three years on and not an awful lot else has happened with dd, lol! But seeing the doc did put my mind at ease.

[bozza]

Hmm I can understand that you are concerned wwb. My DD is 3 and I cannot conceive that it would be just 3 short years to puberty. I think I was about 9 when I started getting pubes and I was horrified and started my periods at 11. I think the issue is a bit blurred because the hair is blonde so less definitely pubic hair as opposed to general body hair IYSWIM. I hope you get some reassurance.

[jampot]

the adrenal glands are apparently located above the kidneys or thereabouts

[jampot]

a friend's little girl started developing pubic hair when she was in nursery and her mum took her to the GP. It transpired that she had an adrenal tumour which caused the onset of puberty . The tumour was benign and was removed and I beleive everything was halted. Dont worry too much WWB but do take her to GP.

[WigWamBam]

Thanks, MP

[WigWamBam]

Thank you for that, it's very reassuring.

I will definitely make sure that she feels normal and confident. We haven't mentioned it to her and don't intend to, but if she does notice we won't make a big deal out of it. She already knows a little about what happens with growing hair and having periods so hopefully will take it reasonably in her stride if it does happen early.

I don't mind her being examined; she gets a lot of soreness down there and is seeing a paediatrician about it, so we're used to it now.

[morningpaper]

She doesn't look overweight to me HONESTLY and you know how blunt I am

Love your pictures btw Made me

[milkybarsrus]

by the way, in many other countries hair growth, periods, etc starts a lot earlier than here! my advice is, get the blood tests done to give you some peace of mind, and then enjoy with your little girl her childhood.