All parents hope their children will grow up healthy and strong, but rapid growth isn't always healthy! Especially for children who are expected to have a growth spurt during puberty, if they exhibit early signs like sudden height increases, weight gain, and changes in secondary sexual characteristics, it may indicate an underlying issue you may not be aware of—"precocious puberty." So, what exactly is this condition? What impact does it have? And how should you deal with it? The Kuangjie doctors are here to answer all your questions!

What is Precocious Puberty?

Precocious puberty refers to the development of secondary sexual characteristics in girls before the age of 7.5 years and in boys before the age of 9 years. In girls, it manifests as breast development, rapid growth in height, growth of pubic and axillary hair, and onset of menstruation; in boys, it manifests as enlargement of the testes and penis, rapid growth in height, growth of pubic hair and facial hair, prominent Adam's apple, and voice changes.

Classification of Precocious Puberty

It is generally divided into two major categories:

1. Central Precocious Puberty (True Precocious Puberty): The most common type, where the "puberty switch" in the brain (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis) activates prematurely, directing the body to enter puberty too early. In girls, it is often idiopathic, while in boys or very young girls, organic brain lesions should be cautiously considered.

2. Peripheral precocious puberty (pseudoprecocious puberty): The issue lies not with the "switch" but rather with abnormal functioning of the "downstream" glands or the child's exposure to exogenous sex hormones, such as mistakenly ingesting contraceptives, using health products or cosmetics containing sex hormones, or suffering from adrenal or gonadal-related diseases.

What are the harms of precocious puberty

1. Restricted height development: Premature development accelerates bone growth too rapidly, causing bone age to advance ahead of schedule and premature closure of the epiphyses, ultimately affecting adult height.

2. Causes psychological and behavioral problems: The child's psychological maturity cannot keep up with the physical changes, leading to confusion, low self-esteem, anxiety, and other emotions due to physical development being out of sync with peers, thereby increasing psychological burden or even causing social difficulties.

3. Increased Potential Risks: Early development of reproductive organs leading to corresponding symptoms, such as early menarche in girls and early nocturnal emissions in boys. Due to a lack of relevant physiological and hygiene knowledge, these conditions can easily cause related health issues.

What Should Parents Do?

1. Pay Close Attention and Schedule Regular Check-ups: Regularly measure your child's height and weight, record and plot growth curves, and watch for early physical changes.

2. Remember Important Age Milestones: For girls at 7.5 years old and boys at 9 years old, if signs of early development or significant acceleration in height and weight growth are observed, seek medical attention for your child promptly.

3. Collaborate with Medical Examinations: Comprehensive evaluation through bone age, ultrasound, blood hormone levels, and other diagnostic tests, with cranial MRI performed when necessary to rule out intracranial lesions.

4. Scientific Treatment, No Need for Panic: If central precocious puberty is diagnosed and is predicted to affect adult height or psychological well-being, a combination of Chinese and Western medicine can be employed for treatment, with regular follow-up examinations.

How to Prevent in Daily Life

While it cannot be completely avoided, a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk:

1. Maintain a balanced diet with proper nutrition, avoid supplements such as royal jelly, honey, bird's nest, sea cucumber, and bovine colostrum, and reduce the intake of snacks, beverages, fast food, as well as out-of-season fruits and vegetables.

2. Store medications properly and avoid exposure to non-child-specific cosmetics, skincare products, and other items to minimize exposure to environmental hormones.

3. Ensure adequate sleep, follow a regular daily routine, and avoid using night lights.

4. Maintain regular and rhythmic exercise, which not only reduces the risk of obesity but also promotes bone health and supports height growth.

Precocious puberty is a race against time, where early detection, diagnosis, and intervention are key. Parents need not be overly anxious, but they should not take it lightly either. Using scientific knowledge and careful observation, they can protect their children's healthy growth.