Are signs of early puberty in a primary-school aged child a cause for concern?

Question

My son is less than 6 years old, and last week we discovered that he has grown a little bit of pubic hair. This seems way too soon for this to happen. My older son, who is 9 years old, only now started growing a bit of pubic hair (and this also seems a bit early). Is this normal? Should we be concerned?

score 13 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 02 '18 at 17:34

I found this entry at Michigan's Health System with lots of valuable information and links to more information: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/puberty.htm

Having read this article on Precocious Puberty, if it were my son I would take him to the doctor. There is some concern that Precocious Puberty, puberty earlier than 9 years on in boys, can be caused by an underlying disease.

It seems a check up is in order to be safe.

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 02 '18 at 16:36

4

Six is way too young to begin puberty. Have him evaluated by a physician as soon as possible! The nine-year-old is also on the very young side. I'd have him checked out, too. Precocious puberty can result in compromised adult height.

edited Apr 02 '18 at 16:36

Anne Daunted GoFundMonica

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answered May 17 '12 at 07:49

Jeff

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score 3 · Answer 3 · answered May 18 '12 at 13:10

Definitely a doctor's appointment is appropriate. Be sure to not alarm your child with statements of "this is not normal". Approach the appointment/concern through the lense of health so that your child sees taking care of himself as important. Good luck

Are signs of early puberty in a primary-school aged child a cause for concern?

3 Answers3