Medication
Early Puberty: Treatment Options. For central precocious puberty, medications called GnRH analogs are the standard treatment. They work by blocking the hormones coming from the pituitary gland that trigger puberty. Most children who need treatment get these medicines as injections or implants.
Procedures
Long-acting analogs of GnRH (GnRHas) have been the gold-standard treatment of central precocious puberty (CPP) worldwide and have an enviable track record of safety and efficacy. Recent years have witnessed much growth in the availability of longer-acting and sustained-release forms of GnRHas.
How do you treat precocious puberty in children?
Chen T, Wu H, Xie R, et al. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin B as potential markers for progressive central precocious puberty in girls. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2017 Feb 1. [Medline]. Ng SM, Kumar Y, Cody D, et al. Cranial MRI scans are indicated in all girls with central precocious puberty.
Are long-acting analogs of GnRH safe and effective for central precocious puberty?
Peripheral precocious puberty, also known as peripheral precocity, is less common. It usually develops when there is excess production of sex hormones from a cyst or a tumor. To diagnose early puberty, your child's doctor will ask some questions and run some tests.
Which imaging studies are indicated in girls with central precocious puberty?
What is peripheral precocious puberty?
How can I slow down precocious puberty naturally?
Slowing down childhood obesity and early puberty with exercise and nutritionGo to the doctor. Seek advise from your child's pediatrician. ... Exercise, exercise, exercise! ... Beware of hormones in your food. ... Eat organic fruits and vegetables. ... Bake better. ... Be aware of the products you use. ... Drink plenty of water.
How do you reverse precocious puberty?
Sometimes, treatment of a related health problem can stop the precocious puberty. But in most cases, there's no other disease, so treatment usually involves hormone therapy to stop sexual development. The currently approved hormone treatment is with drugs called LHRH analogs.
What will happen if precocious puberty is not treated?
Without treatment, your child might be shorter than normal as an adult. The younger your child, the more likely they are to benefit from treatment. Girls with CPP who are age 6 or older might not need it. Even younger kids may not need treatment if their body and bones grow slowly.
What is the treatment for CPP?
The most common treatment for CPP is called a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist. It works by making sure the pituitary gland ignores signals from the hypothalamus and stops the release of sex hormones from the ovaries and testicles to delay the puberty process.
What does Lupron do for precocious puberty?
Generic Name: leuprolide Leuprolide is used to stop early puberty (precocious puberty) in children. It helps to delay sexual development (such as growth of the breasts/testicles) and the start of menstrual periods. It also helps slow down early bone growth to increase the likelihood of reaching normal adult height.
What foods prevent early puberty?
Children with lower-nutrient diets tend to enter puberty earlier. A diet rich in processed foods and meats, dairy, and fast food is disruptive to normal physical development. Exposure to EDCs (endocrine-disrupting chemicals).
Is it necessary to treat precocious puberty?
Treatment for precocious puberty depends on the cause. However, in some cases, there is no identifiable cause for precocious puberty. In this instance, your child may not need treatment depending on his or her age and how rapidly puberty is progressing.
Is precocious puberty life threatening?
Apart from just cutting a girl's physical childhood short, early puberty is linked to consequences that can reverberate throughout her life. It's linked to greater risk for breast cancer, teen pregnancy, HPV, heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality, which is the risk of dying from any cause.
When do you stop Lupron for precocious puberty?
Interventions: Lupron Depot was administered as a single monthly subcutaneous injection to each patient. Treatment was usually discontinued by 10 to 11 years of age, at which time pubertal progression was allowed to resume.
Why do I have precocious puberty?
In most cases, there is no known reason. Very rarely, central precocious puberty has a medical cause, like an infection or growth in the brain. Peripheral precocious puberty, also known as peripheral precocity, is less common. It usually develops when there is excess production of sex hormones from a cyst or a tumor.
What to do if your child is showing signs of puberty?
If you think your child is showing signs of early puberty, don't delay in getting help. If you wait too long, it can be harder to control the development, Josefson says. There's no surefire formula for deciding when a child needs treatment. Doctors have different approaches.
What is the most common form of early puberty?
There are two kinds of early puberty. The more common form is central precocious puberty. This is when the brain starts the normal process of puberty -- triggering the release of various hormones -- but does it early. In most cases, there is no known reason.
When to use GnRH analogs?
They're used when an underlying cause is more likely, as in children under age 6 or kids with other symptoms. Ultrasounds -- of the ovaries, for instance -- can be helpful in some cases. Early Puberty: Treatment Options. For central precocious puberty, medications called GnRH analogs are the standard treatment.
How to find out if a child is in early puberty?
A family history to find out if early puberty might run in the family. Blood tests to check a child's hormone and sometimes thyroid levels. X-rays, usually of the hand and wrist, to check a child's bone age; this is a way of seeing how quickly they are growing, and if final adult height might be impacted.
Can you get treatment for precocious puberty at age 11?
Some studies have suggested that kids don't benefit from treatment beyond age 11. Treatment for peripheral precocious puberty is quite different. It depends on the cause. In some cases, surgery might be necessary to remove a tumor or cyst from the ovaries or testicles.
Is premature pubarche a sign of puberty?
These conditions are not signs of puberty , but just normal variations, Kaplowitz says.
Drugs used to treat Precocious Puberty
The following list of medications are in some way related to, or used in the treatment of this condition.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.