What tests should be done for children's precocious puberty

Some children may have organic lesions of the central nervous system, which may eventually lead to precocious puberty. Some children may suffer from precocious puberty due to abnormal hormone secretion in their bodies. Some other children may suffer from precocious puberty due to environmental pollution and other reasons. No matter what the cause of precocious puberty is, once parents discover this phenomenon, they must take their children to the hospital for a physical examination in time.

Precocious puberty refers to the sudden growth of girls before the age of 8 and boys before the age of 9, and the appearance of various "secondary sexual characteristics" and sexual development phenomena. For example, girls develop breasts, grow armpit and pubic hair, have increased vaginal discharge, and have menstruation; boys develop Adam's apples, begin to have voice changes, have thicker penises, and develop armpit and pubic hair. Once a child shows signs of early development, many parents are at a loss as to what tests to do for their child.

Because brain tumors or adrenal gland disorders may cause growth problems in children, CT or MRI of the head or abdomen should be done. Bone age is assessed based on X-rays of the hands and wrists to check whether bone development is advanced. Children with precocious puberty generally have a bone age that is 1-3 years older than their actual age. B-ultrasound examination of the abdomen: B-ultrasound examination of the anteroposterior diameter of the uterine body, the position of the endometrium, the echo of the muscle wall, the size of the left and right ovaries, the number of follicles, and the size of the follicles in girls is used to determine the degree of precocious puberty in children and estimate the time of menstruation; for boys, attention should be paid to the testicles, adrenal cortex and other parts. Gonadotropin release test using radioimmunoassay to measure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and LH in the blood helps to distinguish true from false precocious puberty.

There are some common manifestations of precocious puberty. For example, precocious puberty in girls can be manifested as breast development and enlargement of the labia minora. There may also be frequent appearance of golden hair and early onset of menstruation. Precocious puberty in boys may manifest as enlarged penis and testicles and rapid growth of body hair. When parents discover these problems in their children, they must pay enough attention to them.