Precocious Puberty?

[Aji]

Dd is 5, nearly 6. This summer I noticed that she was starting to sweat with "adult" body odour from her armpits.

Tonight she asked me about a hair in her bottom, and showed me what looks like a pubic hair.

I had a look on the internet (the term I found was "precocious puberty", which talks about signs of puberty in girls before 6-8 - www.nhs.uk/conditions/puberty/pages/complications.aspx) and am going to make a doctor's appointment for her next week. She is quite tall for her age.

I wanted to ask if anyone had also experienced this with their children, and how they dealt with it? Am worried :(.

We saw an endocrine consultant today. She was lovely and explained everything to us. After examining dd and looking at the results of the tests done at the local hospital she felt that dd is going through true puberty but that she needs to do more tests to confirm it and give us a diagnosis. She is doing an ultrasound scan and a mri scan to rule out anything scary plus to help diagnose. She's doing more blood tests which require dd to be in the hospital for half a day for bloods to be taken at intervals. She also wants a 24hour urine sample. She said that once she's got all the results back she'll call us and talk it all through. She also discussed treatment options with us if the tests confirm precocious puberty which seems to be hormone injections until dd is 11. She is concerned that we need to preserve dd's height which apparently is at risk. She also felt that given dd's behaviour even in the appointment (very teenager withdrawn type behaviour, grunting and huffing and puffing at questions / requests, reading her book and not interacting) that dd needs treatment to get her emotions back in check. I would support that! So no real answers yet but in the pipeline for all the final diagnostic tests which I'm happy with for now.

AMum it's great that you're getting closer to your answers but I really feel for you & your DD. Hopefully you can start to properly deal with things & get any more support that you need. The next tests sound like they'll be tough on DD .
I'm sure you don't need to hear it but well done for all your persistence, you're doing right by your DD. I'm sure with all the love & support you're giving her she'll deal with it all.
Dont forget to take care of yourself too x

Bumping up for NoMoreMarbles.

How is everyone? We're still dealing with the major attitude which is doing my head in. I tell you I'm not cut out for this parenting a mini-teenager lark, the attitude stinks and my fuse is being burned shorter and shorter each day.

My dd had her ultrasound scan today. She totally freaked out at the beginning, I have no idea why. We had to get her to calm down and stop crying before the lady could do the scan. Anyway the lady didn't give any ideas at all on what she could see. She spent ages on the left adrenal gland, I actually wondered if she couldn't find it but hey, I'm surprised they have any idea of what they're looking at on those scans LOL! More specialist bloods in 10 days and a MRI scan at the end of the month and then all results back mid Feb.

Hi AMum & everyone
AMum - I bet the moods are tough going. Poor thing is probably totally confused too. I've no suggestions to cope I'm afraid, lots of breathing!?! Apparently the adrenals are quite hard to identify due to size & location so that could explain the extra time on the left. Hope she copes with the rest of the tests, I guess the MRI will be a bit scary for her. Luckily DD loves playing doctor so it's a bit of a game for her ........for now....

We've had another consultant apt. So ultrasound & urine are completely normal, endo is presuming premature pubarche at this point but we're having the hormone stimulation test next week. Feeling hugely relieved (damn you Dr Google for inducing panic!) but still not happy that she's having these symptoms .

SELady have you progressed any? Was just wondering (if its not prying too much) why/how your consultant agreed to MRI?

Meant to add that endo indicated if it is premature pubarche DD is susceptible to develop PCOS later. I'm borderline PCOS & because I'm not overweight have stayed on the right side, but I was always a chubby child. DD isn't really chubby now, in proportion but solid, but she was a very chubby baby.

Hi everyone,
I fell a bit cheeky coming back on after not posting for nearly 2 months
We saw the paediatrician last week,during the examination she said that she did not think there was significant breast development but has concerns as she has definite pubic hair and inflammation of the vulva. Combined with body odour, aching bones, growth spurt and emotional, she is sending her for some tests, she had a bone age xray today and next week, she is having an LHRH test and baseline bloods, then an ultrasound of her kidneys and pelvis.
Her height and weight are in the 91st centile, which to honest, I don't really get.
She discussed it could be Adrenarche or Precocious puberty but will wait to discuss it any further, until all the results come back, so about a 6 week wait now. She did say that as she is only six and if it was true precocious puberty, intervention to prevent progression would be immediate.
DD has been a nightmare the last few weeks, so so emotional, crying one minute, screaming the next, its a nightmare as she is the eldest, I have nothing to compare it with.

mooliebear Glad that you are getting somewhere now as well. The emotional side is what we're stuggling with most as well. My dd is my eldest as well so like you I have nothing to compare to other than her twin brother who has emotional delay so at 6 currently going through terrible 2's! Its a barrel of laughs in this house sometimes lol!
This weekend we recieved the letter from the endocrine consultant outlining the clinic appointment we had just before Christmas. She says that on examination dd appears to be going through puberty and has breast development at Tanner stage 2 and hair development at tanner stage 3. She says in the letter that assuming the ultrasound confirms uterus and ovary development then she would recommend immediate intervention with some hormone (name I can't remember) because dd is only 6. She also says that biochemically she may not see puberty occuring but that it is not uncommon to get a false negative for the blood tests. I don't fully understand that tbh but I trust this consultant with what she is doing and I'll get her to explain to me if need be in Feb when we next see her. DD has all her blood tests tomorrow and needs to be in for half a day. I hope that she's ok with them, she freaked out with the ones done at the local hospital.

Oh AMum and mooliebear, big hug for you and your dds.

Good news so far Mammykaz - hope that the rest of the tests come back as normal. I know what you mean though, it's hard not to worry even when the results are good.

Dd had her consultant appointment last week, and the blood and urine tests have come back as normal. He thinks it's increased sensitivity to the hormones, but not true precocious puberty (yay!). He says he'll see her in 4 months' time, then maybe twice a year until she's 8. After that, any signs of puberty would be classed on the young end of the normal spectrum.

It's a big relief, although I'm still inclined to worry. Dd has been a star throughout the process. I hope she doesn't get picked on for her body odour (only noticeable in summer), the consultant recommended just using a normal deodorant if it becomes obvious.

Hi all, sorry if this has already been mentioned as I haven't read every post but have any of your DC been sent for a MRI of their brain?
My neice who just turned 8, went to see a consultant last week as she has definite breasts and some pubic hair. She also has some behavioural issues which is potentially ASD though people seem to keep changing their mind about that.
Anyway, she had an X-ray of her hand last week and the consultant has called today to say he's sending an apt for an MRI to rule out a pituitary tumour - is this normal procedure? Really pleased they're taking it seriously and know that tumours are rare so hoping they're just being on the safe side...

Harumff Yes, my dd went for an MRI scan on Wednesday. The consultant said it was protocol for that hospital for all girls under 8 with suspected precocious puberty. She also said she has rarely seen a pituitary tumour but because its a possibility the MRI scan must be done to rule it out.

That's reassuring to hear, thank you.

aMum that's sad news but at least they can now start to deal with things & hopefully your DD will respond quickly to treatment. Worrying nonetheless . But a scientist friend was very reassuring about the effectiveness of the treatment, not her area of expertise but she knows a couple of women that have had early puberty treatment & another growth hormone treatment.

Aji that's great news. We've just had the same news from our consultant: premature Adrenarche. As DD is so young they'll monitor every 2-3 months for now, there's still the concern it can develop into early puberty. I don't feel any real relief at the news but thankful theres not something very scary going on.

We got the official diagnosis today, central precocious puberty. I knew it was coming but feeling a little weepy tonight. Due to her age, height and emotional well being the consultant recommended she start on hormone therapy asap. We have decided to go with her recommendation. So until dd is 12 she will have slow release implants under local anesthetic every 10 weeks and 3 monthly monitoring of symptoms, height and weight. I've worked it out and with her other issues she's going to average 1 hospital appointment every 3 weeks although the consultant thinks some of her other problems will self correct with the hormone treatment which would be brilliant.
I'm feeling very sad for ds over all this tonight. She's been very withdrawn this afternoon over it. Hopefully time will help her.

Amum hope you are ok tonight after your news today. I can imagine you must feel very shocked and the 'official' news will take a while to get used to. Thinking of you.

I hope you don't mind me chipping in to your thread. I clicked on the title because precocious puberty is a condition associated with one of my children's syndrome, but it turned out it wasn't to do with his condition.

But, my DS1 has a growth syndrome and I've had lots of help and support over the years from the Child Growth Foundation. They include Precocious Puberty along with a condition called Premature Sexual Maturation (PSM) as one of the ones they help with.

The URL is www.childgrowthfoundation.org (hope I've done that link right!). On their home page is a 'contact us' button with the helpline number. I'm sure they would be able to help with things like best practice for treatment etc.

Their message boards used to be really busy (and honestly, a lifesaver. My son's condition is quite rare and just to get a few parents together, the experienced ones with the newbies, on the same page and helping each other was amazing.) I think they now have support groups on Facebook as well and I'm not on that, but I think they are quite busy.

Anyway, will stop butting in now but I hope maybe the CGF might be able to help you, if you feel you need it!

Amumgoingmad. Big hugs. At least now you know that something can be done to help and you have done the right thing by following everything up. I hope that everything goes ok with the hormone therapy.

It's been over a year since I posted on this thread - I wonder how the other mums who reposnded are getting on?

DD is 7 now, and started to get underarm hair. Yesterday she asked me how come she had underarm hair and I didn't, and I mentioned it was because I shaved it. She asked me if she could shave hers too, and I am a little torn. On one hand I think she should, as children will begin to comment and make fun of her if she doesn't. On the other hand, once you start, it's difficult to stop. FWIW it's the only part of my body where I do hair removal (apart from plucking my eyebrows about once a year).

She is also self-conscious when showering after swimming now, and has asked me if she can get rid of the hairs on her bottom. We'll manage it by having her shower in her swimsuit in the public baths, then wash her properly at home. I'm less keen on hair removal in the pubic area, as it would generally be covered up, but I know that she will start swimming in school next year. I don't know whether to allow her to remove it until an age when it becomes "normal". Will see her paedatrician again next month, and have made an appointment with GP to discuss.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Hi Aji
I've just seen your update. It's a difficult issue to negotiate, as you rightly say once you start you can't go back. As horrible as it might sound do you think you might consider waxing under arms? Only reason I suggest this is that I presume the hair isn't coarse as it hasn't been shaved yet. Plus it should grow back slower than shaving so possibly still be less noticeable when it starts to return. A big treat for a brave girl??? Hate to suggest it as even I'm too wimpy to have it done but am bearing in mind for DD should we need to

For pubic hair I'd be very reluctant to do anything. I wouldn't be keen to use any hair removal creams & shaving could cause an irritating regrowth. Sorry, I'm not much use for you on this one! Your solution for keeping swimsuit on in showers sounds good.

Thankfully there have been no changes in the last year for DD & we're on 6 monthly checks now. She starts school in September & I do need to get her to start using deodorant. I want something as non-chemical as possible, anyone have any recommendations?

Also, did you discuss with your DD's school? I'm quite sensitive about who knows & am wondering if I've got to mention something as I'd hate her to be picked on if she gets a bit of BO with PE or whatever.

Hi MammyKaz,
Sorry, I missed your post completely!

We ended up using Nair Sensitive on DD's underarms, she got quite itchy after 5 minutes so we rinsed it off, but she was really happy that the hair was gone. We've had some slight regrowth after 2-3 weeks, so I think we'll probably do it again this week. Paediatrician said it was fine to do this. In the meantime we'll just carry on with the showering in her swimsuit.

She starts a new school next term, and will also be swimming in school. I don't know whether to approach it with her form teacher - I haven't done this in the past, and rightly or wrongly, I'm a bit reluctant to discuss it this year as she has a male form teacher for the first time. There is a school nurse, whom I might mention it to.

I use the Dr Organic roll-ons for her - I've currently got the honey one which is a bit overpowering, might go for something a bit less sickly next time!

Dr Organic Deodorants

You can get them from Holland and Barrett.

I've been quite conscious of her body odour, especially since it's been so hot. She hasn't mentioned that anyone has said anything to her, but I do encourage her to wash under her arms in the mornings, and also if it's noticeable after she's been playing. I feel bad about this, as I don't want her to be self-conscious, but she does have quite a strong smell when she's been sweating.

Hello all. I posted this in AIBU earlier and a kind poster referred me to your thread...
"More of a WWYD really... A few times recently in the hot weather I have noticed that my 5yo DD's armpits smell of BO. As a result we have upped the washing regime as she used to have a bath every other day. I have always been firmly in the 'kids just get grubby not smelly and don't need as much bathing until puberty camp', but this morning she had a shower and an hour later I bent to give her a cuddle and could smell her.
I am going to take her to the docs to make sure there is no underlying medical reason for the pong but I am really sad that this may be an issue for her from such a young age.
If you were in my shoes would you just stick to bathing or would you use a product so you could be sure she wouldn't get smelly? I am worried about kids at school noticing and being cruel. Has anyone else had to deal with this?"

Since reading this thread I have realised that DD has also complained recently of aching legs and has downy hair down below. I'm really worried now .

Watching this thread with interest. Dd is seven and a half, stupidly tall, 136cm, has little boobs and long blond hairs down below. She doesn't smell but complains her legs hurt. Now, I hadn't read anything into this as I started my periods at nine nearly ten but hadn't realised it could affect growth. Would the doctor think I'm totally mad if i got her checked out or could it all just be the natural process?

Hi ahfuckit and rowgtfc72,

It sounds very similar to what my dd had, beginning at age 5. I would encourage you to speak to the GPs as a first move. I remember I had just returned to work after a year on maternity leave, and being in a meeting in London, exhausted and worried, stepping out of the meeting when my GP returned the call (my customers weren't particularly happy about that) and the tears just coming, I was so stressed.

DD is 7 now, and starting to get a little self-conscious about her hair, so she showers in her swimsuit at the pool. The paediatrician has been great with her, she is checked every 6 months. Paediatrician is always very upbeat, reassuring her that she is just a little ahead of her friends, and they will catch up with her soon enough. Once she reaches "normal" age (I think around 9?), the checks will stop.

Had a good sniff today, she certainly doesn't smell of anything. She pointed the hairs out to me. They're not overly noticeable and blond but different enough for dd to have seen them. Weve vaguely discussed growing up and she knows what periods are and she's excited that as soon as she has one she can have a baby! Will have to buy an age appropriate book ( any recommendations welcome) give it a couple of months and maybe check in at the docs.

Hi All
Aji thanks for the dr organics recommendation, DD loves smelling like a rose. Broke my heart she was so proud to be wearing deodorant but at least it's not a challenge to get her to put it on. It's been hardest getting her to keep pants/swimsuit on when we're at play dates with friends that decide to strip off in the heat. I'm doing the whole bottoms are private approach but she forgets when others are stripping off!

ahfuckit and rowgtfc72 I would second Aji's comments & suggest a discussion with your GP. They won't think you're over-reacting. I definitely over-reacted later on with the paediatrician & various test results but that was because they weren't being reassuring strongly enough! I didn't care one bit i just needed to be as certain as we could be.

I got the Dr Organics honey roll-on for dd, and it's a bit sickly. Might try the rose one next time!

Hi, to make it easy for parents and come out of the awkwardness to talk to your kids about puberty .I have something interesting to share with you .Its a fun video which explains about puberty . I m sure watching this video will make it easy then ever before.
www.howtotellyourchild.com/puberty-in-girls/