ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More children are starting puberty earlier, according to several reports. Now, doctors are urging more awareness for families.

It’s called precocious puberty and it’s mostly impacting young girls. 

“We’re seeing early puberty amongst all of our patients, but it does tend to be more pronounced in Black children and in Hispanic children,” Pediatrician and American Academy of Pediatrics Spokesperson Dr. Alex Cvijanovich said.

A child is considered to be going through early puberty or precocious puberty if they’re younger than 8 years old.

Cvijanovich says some kids are going through puberty as young as 4 years old. When that happens, doctors sometimes use medicine to pause or delay that process.

“Sometimes we need to intervene with puberty blockers that allow the child to be pre-pubertal for longer, which maximizes their height attainment. Because we do tend to see a significant slowdown in height velocity, growth plates close not long after girls start their menstrual cycle,” Cvijanovich said.

There can be side effects with using puberty blockers, but Cvijanovich says when a child is on them, they’re being closely monitored by a pediatrician or pediatric endocrinologist.

“In general, they’re very safe. It just needs to be done in a careful and controlled manner. And [puberty blockers are] actually also covered by insurance if they have the specific diagnosis of precocious puberty,” Cvijanovich said.

In addition to stunted growth, children who go through puberty early can also suffer from depression and anxiety. They can also be inappropriately sexualized by society— which Cvijanovich says can have devastating effects on children.

“One of the most important things is just recognition of what is going on and helping the child understand what their body is going through, and that there they are still a normal child,” Cvijanovich said.

She says there are many theories as to why puberty is happening earlier, but some research suggests hormones in our food and other chemicals might be contributing to the issue.

Cvijanovich urges parents and caregivers to talk to their pediatrician if they believe their child is going through puberty early. She also says regular exercise and a healthy diet can also help slow down puberty.

According to the National Institutes of Health, precocious puberty is still rare. It affects fewer than 1% of the U.S. population.

RESOURCES:

• March 2023 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health
• July 2022 article in the journal Pediatric