Puberty blockers for precocious puberty

[Stressyundressy]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with their child being prescribed/ taking puberty blockers for precocious puberty?

DD has suspected precocious puberty, bone scan growth measuring 2 years ahead and some physical signs (hormones not indicative on blood tests yet).

The physical aspects of an early puberty are one thing, However in addition we’ve had family tragedy in the past year (so I highly suspect stress may be behind it), and I don’t think it would be fair to her to expect her to go through an early puberty and the additional emotional trauma that would cause her on top of all she has been through already.

She’s currently a very young for her age just turned 7 year old.

Does anyone have any real life experience of this please? I have been reading up on side effects and the suspected long term effects to bone health/ mitochondria damage etc and would like to make an informed decision on treatment if and when the time comes.

Thank you

Name changed for this obviously. Long term poster about all manner of things previously

I have some experience of this. If her hormones aren't indicative yet then they can't stop it anyway right?
My DD was 7.5 when we noticed BO and a tiny bit of hair. Her bone growth was 2 years ahead too. I saw a couple of different specialists in the end, one advised treatment once she showed signs of estrogen (ie breast buds), one advised that unless breast development was very rapid then to leave it - she would just be early side of normal. She is 9 years 3 months now and just has only just her first breast bud. She got a tiny bit hairier in that time but not a lot . Suggestion is that periods tend to come 2-3 years after breast development starts, so if that's the case my DD will be around 11 which is the same as I was anyway.
I wasn't comfortable with injecting her with Lupron when she was so borderline, and as she didn't rapidly develop and she's carried on growing at the same rate I didn't feel I wanted her to be medicated.
It's a tough call though and I understand your dilemma

My periods started when I was ten. I imagine there were physical signs of puberty in the couple of years before that.

I would hate to think my normal growth had been medicalised to delay what, for me, was normal development.

I know they discussed it with my parents who didn't go ahead. Periods started at 9

My daughter started buds at 8y3m. We were emregerred quickly to paediatric endocrinology who offered Lupron after bone xray, pelvic ultrasound etc. We declined. She started her period at 10y8m. She's been tall from birth but height growth has slowed since periods began. She's now almost 12. Dd2 is almost 8 and no buds but slight beginnings of hair so we have been referred to same consultant and will again decline blockers.

*referred

Thank you for your replies.

We've been seeing the endocrinologist on a watch and wait for almost a year now, and the breast buds were noted last year. Just waiting on blood tests currently to identify anything with her hormones and then we will go for the additional
Physical Scans and get the complete picture. So it's currently still indicated, not completely confirmed.

I understand that if we don't treat she would probably be on the early side of normal and short with her growth expected to top out at about 5 feet, that's really the least of our concerns.

We had the death of an immediate family member in the past year (her sibling) and this is the part that concerns me the most, the physical aspects are one thing but I really don't think she could handle the emotional aspects of it (emotional changes of puberty, low self esteem from teasing/ being ahead of her peers etc).

I con confirm it is not a decision we would take lightly at all and were it not for her current emotional fragility and grieving we would be inclined not to want treat it medically

Is she tall now op or average height?

We were told lupron could affect her later fertility which was an instant no. Puberty is deemed normal from 8 so she's close to that now.

@@wingingit33 same reason we didn't go down that route. I would feel terrible if she had any side effects that were long term. Can I ask how tall your older daughter is now at 12?

@wingingit33

We were told lupron could affect her later fertility which was an instant no. Puberty is deemed normal from 8 so she's close to that now.

This would be my biggest concern. Can you imagine if she struggles with fertility when she's older and blames you for it?

I am sorry about your family's loss.

@YingMei she is 11y9m and 5'3. Final adult height predicted 5'5 - same as me