Precocious puberty

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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Precocious puberty is when someone's body begins changing from a child into an adult too soon. The process of changing from a child into an adult is known as puberty, and puberty that begins before age 8 for girls and before age 9 for boys is considered precocious puberty.

Puberty includes rapid growth of bones and muscles, changes in body shape and size, and development of the body's ability to reproduce.

The cause of precocious puberty often can't be found. Rarely, conditions such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development.

Symptoms
References
  1. Styne D. Precocious puberty (sexual precocity). In: Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2630860. Accessed Nov. 6, 2010.
  2. Saenger P. Overview of precocious puberty. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 8, 2010.
  3. Precocious puberty. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/Resources/Growth/upload/bilingual_precocious_puberty.pdf . Accessed Nov. 6, 2010.
  4. Precocious puberty. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec19/ch282/ch282h.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
  5. Carel JC, et al. Precocious puberty. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:2366.
  6. Eugster EA. Peripheral precocious puberty: Causes and current management. Hormone Research 2009;71(suppl):64.
  7. Kaplowicz PB. Treatment of central precocious puberty. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 2009;16:31.
DS00883 Feb. 3, 2011

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