Let me begin by saying my daughter was born at 28 weeks and because of that has had many many medical issues, from having tons of upper respiratory infections to having had a tracheostomy for 3 years and a feeding tube in her stomach since 7 months old. Also because of her extensive medical history she has had to be on steriods far too many times to count. With all that being said, I've been a little concerned lately. Ever since she was an infant she has had real fine hair in her pubic region. At about 3 yrs old, i asked her ped about it and at that time she wasnt concerned, mainly because it was very fine and not real dark. Now however, her pubic region is covered and it is darker and has started to look more course and curly, like what would be normal for an adult female. We have also notied at times that her arm pits will stink if it is really warm out and she complains of sweating a lot. For most of her childhood she has had a formual special for her to eat through her feeding tube. It is gentle on the stomach and easy to break down as she has severe reflux. In the last 8 months she has finally(after an intensive feeding program) started eating food that I puree and calorie boost myself by mouth. She is 5 and only weighs 35 lbs and is only 41 inches. She looks like a 3 yr old. We chalk it up to her prematurity and the fact that i'm not tall nor is her dad. I am very concerned about the pubic hair and body odor. She is going to see her ped next week about something else and i plan to bring this up, but am wondering what if any test i should ask for. i feel horrible cause she has already been through so much and already has so many doctors, but i am also worried. Thanks in advance for reading this.
i"ve read all your answers and thank u all so much! I will def be bringing this to her pediatricians attention next week. Thankfully her drs are all great and listen to me. I have done some research on the precocious puberty and think this may be the factor. I myself was dx at 18 with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and in my 20s with underactive thyroid, so I guess it wouldn't be that far fetched for her to have some kind of hormone imbalance or problem.
as for foods, i am very limited on what i can adjust in her diet as I need to get her as many calories as possible becuase she only gets a total of 25 oz of food and 25 oz of milk a day due to medical problems, therefor we use milk and half and half to increase the calories in the food i puree up for her and give to her.
it is Precocious puberty....
perhaps due to the steroids that she had to take.
A Pediatric Endocrinologist should be seen. NOT a regular doctor.
The endocrine system is very complicated, and only a Pediadtric Endocrinologist... will be able to diagnose it.
all the best,
Susan
Oh hun,
Im so sorry that you have been through so much. Your story really touches my heart. In 2007 we had a baby born with a very rare genetic disorder (first known case in the world)..they thought she would be just fine - perhaps just petite for her age. Well she ended up having severe medical issues - including the need for a feeding tube to be surgerically placed and the dr's wanted to do a trache as well...sadly, she didn't make it due to her extreme health issues. So hearing your story brings tears to my eyes because we went through some of the same trials...
Anyway - I wanted to offer you prayers for strength and peace of mind. I pray you get some answers to your questions when you see your ped... my daughter had to be checked for hormone levels not too long ago. I know that if they found anything to be out of the ordinary they were going to send us to and endocrinologist (sp?)...so I would definitely ask for a referral to see an endocrine specialist - they deal with hormone inbalances! Also - does she take in any kind of milk or meat?? Our dr told us to only give our children organic milk/meat because the antibiotics and hormones they give to animals is maknig girls develope too soon! Just a thought...
God bless,
Some of the other moms are right about the endocrinologist. My daughter is 2 and has L. breast buds (had them since she was born), however she has no other symptoms of early puberty. My ped checked her to see if she had any pubic hair or hair under her arms, she didn't, but she suggested taking her to an endocrinologist just to rule anything out. So I would definately make an appointment.
I would have her tested by an endocrinologist..could be pituitary or thyroid. My sister in law and niece both had precocious puberty symptoms caused by a pituitary dysfunction.
My friend is having some of this happen with her little girl as well. It's called central precocious puberty:
This sounds like premature puberty. Your paediatrician should know what blood tests to do but this will include a hormone profile. Can be due to a few things but early steroid use can contribute. This should be the main thing you discuss with your paediatrician not the second thing.
Hi
I really don't have anything new to add to what has already been written; however, I am an occupational therapist who works with many families in their homes on obtaining much needed durable medical equipment and I am interested where you went for feeding therapy? You have had/are having success with a very difficult issue and I commend you for that - I know it is never just about a therapist - it is always about working together as a team. So many of the kiddos that I see need a specialist who knows what they are doing with feeding - not just someone who knows some odds and ends like me - so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Has she had alot of soy products? I have been reading that it is now being found that the soy products being ingested by our children is causing some premature puberty. I would be worried too. This is not normal. :( Google about the soy and ask your pediatrician.
I would take her to the endocrinologist. She needs her blood tested.
This is actually written on my wife's login, but as a physician I found this story interesting, so I hope this advice helps.
Precocious puberty refers to the appearance of physical and hormonal signs of puberty at an earlier age than is considered normal. For most ethnicities puberty is considered precocious in girls younger than 7 years; however African American girls can have signs of puberty as young as 6 and still be considered as being in normal development.
Generally speaking about 4 to 5% of girls in this country undergo precocious puberty.
Premature pubarche refers to appearance of pubic hair without other signs of puberty in girls or boys younger than 7-8 years.Premature pubarche is a benign normal variant condition that can resemble precocious puberty but is nonprogressive or very slowly progressive.
You did not mention whether or not you daughter is experiencing breast budding. If she is not this may be a normal variant (premature pubarche) or it may not. Keeping in mind I haven't actually examined your child, I would as a parent in this situation, probably insist on some sort of workup, because she could have genuine precocious puberty. This could interfere with the normal development of her bones and growth.
One more thing, hirsutism is quite well known as a common "adverse" reaction to prednisone and methylprednisolone (two common steroid medications).
Below is a link to an emedicine article on precocious puberty which may be helpful. Its kind of written in medicalese a litte bit but its fairly well done.
