TITLE:
Precocious puberty: Pathology, related risks, and support strategies
AUTHORS:
Linda Synovitz, Joanne Chopak-Foss
KEYWORDS:
Precocious Puberty; Early Sexual Maturity; Puberty; Pubertal Development
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine,
Vol.3 No.9,
December
3,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Children are currently starting pubertal development much earlier than 20 to 30 years ago. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted from 1988-1994 revealed that the median age for breast development in white girls was approximately 9.7 years and 8 years in African-American girls versus 10.9 years ago. More recent data, however, indicate that some children are starting pubertal development even earlier (age 7 or 8 in girls or age 9 in boys). Very early pubertal development is identified as precocious puberty, a phenomenon that brings great concern to others besides parents: the child, their peers, school nurses, teachers and counselors. This paper discusses precocious pubertal development, possible causes or relationships, related risks, treatment and helping strategies.