Patient's question:
My daughter is only in third grade of elementary school this year, but she is much taller than most children. Also, she has very thick body hair, just like a girl going through puberty. I think she might be experiencing precocious puberty, and I'm very worried that this is not good for her health. I want to take her to the hospital to see a doctor. Does having thick body hair indicate precocious puberty?Doctor's answer:
This situation may be related to precocious puberty. Precocious puberty refers to the recurrence of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of sexual development, such as breast development, pubic hair, and underarm hair. There is rapid growth in height and weight, as well as the development of external genitalia. The causes of precocious puberty are numerous and can be divided into two categories based on whether the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is prematurely activated: central (genuine) and peripheral (pseudo). Treatment depends on the cause. The main goal of treating central precocious puberty is to inhibit or slow down sexual development, particularly to prevent menstruation in girls, inhibit bone maturation, stabilize final adult height, and restore psychological development appropriate for the additional age gained.