Shorter than peers as an adult? Behavior you thought was normal could be the cause of precocious puberty

Friends who have children all understand this

When friends and relatives meet

The most common thing I say to my child is

“Growing taller again”

As a Parent

Everyone wants their kids to grow tall.

Arrange all kinds of supplements for the baby

But he grew up to be very tall at a young age.

Maybe it's not a good thing

Be careful of your baby's "precocious puberty"

Precocious puberty refers to the development of secondary sexual characteristics in children before the normal developmental age. Precocious puberty is divided into central precocious puberty (CPP) and peripheral precocious puberty (PPP), of which central precocious puberty is the most common type.

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According to the "Expert Consensus on Diagnosis and Treatment of Central Precocious Puberty (2022)", the diagnostic criteria for central precocious puberty are: breast development before 7.5 years old or menarche before 10.0 years old in girls, and testicular development before 9.0 years old in boys .

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Parents, please be alert when your baby shows these changes:

Girls: Breast development, appearance of pubic and underarm hair, menarche, rapid growth in height.

Boys: Enlargement of the testicles and penis, appearance of pubic and armpit hair, deepening of the voice, and development of muscles.

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Precocious puberty is the result of the combined action of multiple factors, mainly including genetic factors, eating habits, environmental endocrine disruptors (such as bisphenol A and pesticide residues in plastic products), obesity, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, psychological stress, accidental ingestion of hormone-containing drugs or contact with adult cosmetics, etc.

In addition, central nervous system diseases or endocrine diseases may also lead to precocious puberty.

Affects adult height

Children with precocious puberty have accelerated bone growth, but their epiphyses close prematurely, resulting in a shortened growth period, and their final height may be lower than that of their peers .

Psychological problems

Premature sexual development may make children feel inferior, anxious or confused, and even affect their social skills and mental health.

Social risks

Children with precocious puberty may not look their age, which may attract unwanted attention and increase their risk of sexual harassment or assault.

Endocrine disorders

Precocious puberty may lead to dysfunction of endocrine organs such as the thyroid and adrenal glands, thereby affecting the body's metabolism and immune function.

Reproductive system development problems

Girls may experience menstrual disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome and other problems, while boys may suffer from effects on sperm quality and reproductive function.

1

Don’t feed your children too well

Fried chicken and milk tea, back off! Fried chicken and milk tea themselves do not directly cause children to have precocious puberty, but the high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar diets they represent can easily lead to obesity if consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, and obesity is one of the important causes of precocious puberty in children .

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In addition, many parents see that their children are studying too hard, so they buy some royal jelly, ginseng, and bird's nest to nourish their children's brains and enhance their immunity. This is also not recommended!

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Because most nutritional supplements may contain hormones or hormone-like active substances , which can cause an increase in the level of sex hormones in the blood or activate estrogen receptors, easily inducing precocious puberty in children.

If parents are worried about their children's inadequate nutritional intake, they can meet their children's growth and development needs by eating a balanced diet and reducing the intake of high-sugar and high-fat foods, rather than relying on health supplements for "replenishment."

Some parents may have heard some "rumors", such as soy milk can make breasts bigger, so they don't recommend giving it to babies...

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In fact, the phytoestrogen effect in soy milk is weak and not enough to cause precocious puberty . However, moderate consumption is the key , and don't drink a cup of soy milk for every meal for a long time.

2

Good life routine

Try to let your children go to bed early and get up early, don't stay up late, and turn off the lights when sleeping. Sleeping with the lights on may interfere with the secretion of melatonin, and thus affect the endocrine system .

3

Reduce hormone exposure

Avoid cosmetics and personal care products that contain hormones.

4

Reasonable exercise

Encourage children to participate in more physical activities and reduce the time they spend using electronic products.

5

Psychological support

Avoid putting too much academic pressure on your children and pay attention to their mental health.

6

Sex Education

Provide appropriate sex education to prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate sexual information too early.

Dear old mothers and fathers

Check yourself now!

If the baby shows symptoms of suspected precocious puberty

Pediatric Endocrinology

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

References

[1] Xiong Ying, Cheng Meng, Xu Kehui. Interpretation of the expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of central precocious puberty (2022)[J]. Journal of Practical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2023, 39(6):422-424.

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Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty