Question
My child is suspected of having precocious puberty, with an increase in height this year. How should I handle this situation? Are there any effective solutions?
Answer
The issue of precocious puberty in children is increasingly serious, affecting one out of every one hundred children. Early identification, treatment, and prevention of precocious puberty have become a focus of concern for parents. Early signs of precocious puberty in girls include increased height, development of the pelvis; hard lumps and tenderness under the breasts; nipple enlargement, swelling, and discoloration; coloring and the appearance of lighter hair in the labia majora and armpits; increased vaginal discharge, slight secretion on underwear, and itching in the genital area. Simple breast development does not affect normal growth in children and has a good prognosis. It usually regresses spontaneously before puberty, with only a few cases persisting into adolescence, and an extremely small number of children may develop true precocious puberty.