Patient's question:
I heard from my sister that her son is 11 years old this year. Just in these days when she went to attend his parent-teacher meeting, the teacher told her that her son was having an early romantic relationship at school, so she hoped she would take him home for proper guidance. Is this a sign of early maturity? I suggest taking him for a check-up. What are the detailed examination items for early childhood precocious puberty?Doctor's answer:
Early-onset puberty requires a thorough examination, including:Overall growth and development: such as height, weight, growth rate, and the development of secondary sexual characteristics, to evaluate the patient's overall growth and development;
Bone age X-ray: to examine how bone age is advanced, how early fusion has occurred, and how it matches the patient's age.
B-type magnetic resonance imaging: to examine the growth and development of reproductive organs, such as how the growth and development of the uterus and ovaries match the patient's age, whether there are mature follicles or a uterus, and how tumors may develop in other areas like the adrenal glands.
Blood draw: to check the excretion of sex hormones;
Sex hormone stimulation test: to determine whether the condition is truly early-onset puberty.