BANGKOK – A pediatrician has warned that children aged 8 – 9 years have the risk of developing precocious puberty and suggested that parents keep a close eye on their child to see if he/she shows signs of the condition.
M.D. Piyarat Lertbannaphong, a pediatrician at Samitivej Hospital on Sunday spoke about precocious puberty, saying that it could affect children physically, psychologically and mentally. Precocious puberty increases the risk to sexual assault, teenage pregnancy or cancer caused by sex hormones. There are many factors for precocious puberty including genetic causes, food, hormones from food products; drugs and cosmetics as well as some diseases such as brain or ovarian tumors. In some cases, no abnormal signs are detected.
M.D. Piyarat added that parents could determine if their 8 – 9 years old child was developing early puberty by seeing if he/she showed signs such as breast development, rapid height growth, mature body odor, facial hair development and voice deepening. She therefore suggested that parents with a precocious child seek advice from a pediatrician to find treatment.
