For parents it is sometimes a pleasure to watch children advance in age, growing from childhood to the adolescent stage where they experience many changes in this body. However, sometimes it comes as a shock to parents when they start noticing such changes at an early age. Such feelings are not only for the parents, but children are sometimes disturbed when they see their age mates still normal, yet they have a few changes which make them look older than others of their age. Early puberty has been a debatable topic in the health sectors. Many theories have also developed around this topic making several attempts to explain this unique experience. In this article, early puberty is extensively discussed. The precise topic is what causes the early puberty, its dangers and how it can be controlled, managed or treated.
Different research studies that have focused on this topic have concluded that a good number of children experience early adolescentstage. Normally, female children reach puberty stage early than male children. The female children need to undergo normal puberty at the age of eight to ten years. Female children also need to take approximately three years for their puberty to fully mature. On the other side, male children take nearly ten to fourteen years to reach their puberty stage. The puberty stage for male children takes four or more years to develop. However, the situation of the early puberty is different. For those who have experienced this process, the process starts a bit early. Most common are six to seven years for female children and eight to ten years or male. Female experience varied signs during early puberty. However, breast enlargement is one of the common symptoms of this process. On the other hand, enlarged penile and testis seem to the most common symptom of early puberty in male children. What is causing this strange situation?
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The leading cause of early puberty is still a mystery. However, there are many factors which scientistslink to the early puberty in both male and female children. Obesity is the primary factor which is connected to early puberty. Most scientists claim that those children who are obese are at risk of developing early adolescence than healthy children. However, this is just a postulation since there is little evidence to link obesity with early puberty in both boys and girls. Other scientists also tie the causation of the early puberty with its types. For instance, these scientists and researchers claim that whether puberty start at an average age or early depends on whether it is central precocious puberty or peripheral mature youth.
In the case of the central precocious puberty, the puberty starts at an early age. “The pattern and timing of the steps in the process are otherwise normal. For the majority of children with this condition, there is no underlying medical problem and no identifiable reason for the early puberty” ( Rohayem et al., 2016). There are many factors which can potentially cause early puberty in the central precocious puberty. The first is a tumor in thebrain spinal cord at the central nervous system. Also, a defect in the brain which is present at birth is also a possible cause of this condition. Other than those, radiations to the mind, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and hypothyroidism are some of the factors listed by the scientist and are linked to precocious puberty.
Peripheral precocious puberty is also unique. For peripheral precocious puberty, “the puberty occurs without the involvement of the hormone in your brain (Gn-RH) that normally triggers the start of puberty. Instead, the cause is the release of estrogen or testosterone into the body because of problems with the ovaries, testicles, adrenal glands or pituitary gland” ( Chen, Rothman, &Jaffee, 2017). ” There are different causes of the peripheral puberty in both male and female. For most boys, “A tumor in the adrenal glands or in the pituitary gland that secretes estrogen or testosterone" causes this type of puberty. Further, exposure to an external source of estrogen or testosterone hormones such as creams or ointments may cause this type of puberty. For female children, ovarian cysts, and ovarian tumors are the major causes of such puberty developments. Notably, gene mutation and a tumor on the sperm cells are also possible causative factors of this type of puberty mostly in male children.
There are effects and complications which can be unpleasant to a child who is unfortunate to encounter these unique developments. The first complication is with regards to the height. Such children tend to grow very fast and taller compared to others. However, their bones mature so quickly, and they soon stop growing at an early stage. As a result, they may end up shorter than other healthy adults ( Kelly et al., 2017). Another side effect is a social and emotional problem. Boys and girls who begin their puberty at an early stage than others tend to be conscious with such changes in their body. This may affect their mindset and self-esteem, thereby affecting their social and emotional relationship.
Avoiding these stage or process mostly where it involves, genes, race, and sex are very difficult. However, there are situations where the process can be delayed through medication. Other than that, encouraging a child to maintain a healthy weight can be significant. Also, keeping the child from external sources of hormones such as estrogen can also help in reducing this process.
References
Chen, F. R., Rothman, E. F., &Jaffee, S. R. (2017).Early puberty, friendship group characteristics, and dating abuse in US girls. Pediatrics , 139 (6), e20162847.
Kelly, Y., Zilanawala, A., Sacker, A., Hiatt, R., & Viner, R. (2017). Early puberty in 11-year-old girls: Millennium Cohort Study findings. Archives of disease in childhood , 102 (3), 232-237.
Rohayem, J., Sinthofen, N., Nieschlag, E., Kliesch, S., &Zitzmann, M. (2016). Causes of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism predict response to gonadotropin substitution in adults. Andrology , 4 (1), 87-94.
