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What are the consequences of early puberty?
Apart from just cutting a girl’s physical childhood short, early puberty is linked to consequences that can reverberate throughout her life. It’s linked to greater risk for breast cancer, teen pregnancy, HPV, heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality, which is the risk of dying from any cause.
Is precocious puberty genetic?
The most common known genetic cause of central precocious puberty is mutations in the MKRN3 gene. Changes in other genes are rare causes of the condition, and researchers suspect that changes in genes that have not yet been identified may also be involved in central precocious puberty.
Is early puberty genetic?
The mechanism that initiates the onset of puberty is largely unknown but the age of onset is mainly under genetic control and influenced by environmental factors including nutrition.
Which child is most likely to experience puberty at first?
Girls are more likely to experience early puberty than boys are. A major reason for this difference is that girls generally undergo puberty earlier than boys normally. Girls also exhibit a larger range of puberty onset (9-16 years of age versus 13-15 years of age for boys), making earlier onset more likely.
Why are kids hitting puberty earlier than ever?
Why Kids Are Hitting Puberty Earlier Than Ever. True or central precocious puberty happens when the hypothalamus, the brain region that manages hormone production, sends signals to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland, in turn, tells the ovaries in girls and the testicles in boys to produce estrogen and testosterone.
Why are adopted children more likely to have precocious puberty?
One study showed that children who are adopted from overseas are 10-20 times more likely to develop precocious puberty. Again, experts aren’t sure why, but the uncertainty of the exact ages of the adopted children might bias the study results. Obesity.
Should I be worried if my child shows signs of puberty?
If your child shows signs of early puberty, they should be evaluated by a pediatric endocrinologist. But kids and their parents should not view precocious puberty as a fearful medical diagnosis. Symptoms that might seem like early puberty are often unrelated and resolve on their own.
What is precocious puberty and how is it diagnosed?
Precocious puberty, also known as early puberty, is when a child’s body starts to go through the change into an adult body too soon. Puberty starts on average in girls between ages 8 and 13 and in boys between ages 9 and 14. Doctors diagnose the condition when puberty starts early and continues through growth spurts and bone maturation.