children s health issues
Early Puberty
Treatment of Early Puberty
Treatment of cause Synthetic hormone therapy Treatment of precocious puberty is usually not needed for children who have only premature pubic and underarm hair growth, but regular re-examination is needed to check for later development of precocious puberty. Children whose breast development began before age 2 are evaluated if breast growth remains past age 2. Treating an identifiable cause of precocious puberty, such as removing a tumor or cyst, may stop the progression of puberty. When no treatable cause is identified in central precocious puberty, drugs may slow the progression of puberty. The decision to give drugs depends on many factors, including the child's age, how fast puberty is progressing, how fast the child is growing, and how tall doctors think the child will be. The goals of drug treatment are to allow a child to grow to normal adult height and to relieve any anxiety the child feels due to developing sooner than peers. Treatment options include synthetic hormone injections that stop the production of sex hormones. The injections are given monthly, every 3 months, or every 6 months. The hormones can also be given by an implant that is inserted under the skin every 12 months. Peripheral precocious puberty can be stopped by drugs that block the action of the sex hormones. 