I'm 8 years old, but my heart is already... If precocious puberty is left unattended, growth is impaired and the risk of cancer increases
Jun 13, 2025
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The diagnosis was precocious puberty. According to the medical staff's explanation that it could interfere with growth and development, A started treating his daughter.
Premature puberty is a phenomenon in which adolescent development is abnormally faster than peers. In general, it refers to a case where secondary sexual characteristics begin in a girl before the age of 8 and a boy before the age of 9.
As such, when secondary sexual characteristics begin when they are too young, the growth plate closes early, adversely affecting height growth above all else.
A precocious puberty test is required for girls whose breasts develop before the age of 8 or boys whose testicles grow before the age of 9.
The same applies to cases where adolescence is likely to come sooner due to increased body fat (obesity) when one grows faster than one's peers or, conversely, growth slows down. If parents have a history of precocious puberty or have genetic factors, the test can also confirm them.
◇ Breast development before the age of 8 and testicular growth before the age of 9 are suspected of precocious puberty
Choi Jae-won, director of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescents at Sejong Hospital in Incheon, said "It is difficult for guardians to visually know whether their children are sick at home."
"In particular, in the case of boys, precocious children take a bath alone in the second and third grades of elementary school and try not to show their testicles or penis to their mothers, so when they come to the hospital, they are often late to start treatment because they are already in adolescence," Choi Jae-won said. "In the second and third grades of elementary school, it is better to visit the hospital for a checkup at least once to see if there are any problems with their children's growth and development."
Diagnosis of precocious puberty is done through blood tests, bone age (growth plate) tests, and hormone stimulation tests to see the reaction after injecting hormones releasing sex-stimulating hormones. If diagnosed, precocious puberty treatment such as injection treatment is performed in some cases.
Director Choi Jae-won explained that "Precise inspection enables accurate prediction of our child's growth" and "Regular growth tests once a year from 6 months during the growth period will allow us to get a more accurate picture of the child's growth status.'
◇"The cause of precocious puberty in soybeans, soy milk, etc." Misunderstanding…If left unattended, it increases the risk of growth and cancer
Choi Jae-won, director of the department, said "As we are interested in precocious puberty recently, there is a lot of misinformation circulating, so we should be careful."," he said.
A typical misconception is 'the association between food and precocious puberty'. It is also common misconceptions such as "'Prenatal puberty' is just a child becoming an adult quickly, but it is not a big problem', 'If diagnosed as precocious puberty, everyone needs treatment', and 'If the treatment for precocious puberty is terminated, the secondary signs may not appear again'.
"It is a misunderstanding that certain foods such as beans, tofu, and soy milk are the main causes of precocious puberty," Choi said. "Obesity and body fat increase are associated with precocious puberty, but no association with specific foods has been confirmed. Premature precocious disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors."
In addition, Choi said, "Prenatal puberty can cause a variety of problems such as height loss, psychological problems, difficulties in hygiene management, and increased risk of cancer."Even if diagnosed with precocious puberty, treatment can be withheld or watched if it does not cause significant harm to the child, and secondary sexual signs naturally progress within a few months to a year and a half at the latest after completing precocious puberty treatment."
"If parents and medical staff cooperate in time, it will greatly help children grow up properly."I regularly check the child's development status and growth rate with an expert, and if there is a problem, I recommend that you treat it in time."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
