Re: Precocious Puberty
10/23/01 9:20 AM
Dear Julie,
 
I like this article because it explains puberty in relatively easy to follow terms, and it has pictures! According to the chart on normal developmental milestones in boys, voice break starts happening around 13.5 years, so your son, at 9 yo. is definitely ahead of himself.  Along with all the other problems you've recently cited---underarm odor, more pubic hair, larger appearing genitalia, moodiness, etc. etc.---things definitely sound a bit out of whack. 
 
When you see his endo in Nov., I think I would ask him also about whether or not true central precocious puberty might be becoming a problem, here.  The things that you say are happening with your son, seem to be happening at a relatively fast pace, compared to when he was just in good control, a couple of months ago.  If it were my child, I would wonder whether the only problem we were dealing with, at this point, was the adrenal glands, or if the situation would also warrant looking more closely at the pituitary gland.  A very simple thing the endocrinologist can do to make this judgment is to look closely at the size of the testicles.  If CPP is starting to happen, the testicles will start measurably increasing in size.
 
Disorders of Puberty
 
http://www.aafp.org/afp/990700ap/209.html
Carol
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