November 2013
SanTan
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s ’ t a h W e d i s n I Pages 2-4 SanTan Family Fun Calendar
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Page 10 Bogle student in model search
Page 12 Just 4 Kids Sponsored by City of Chandler Recreation Division
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Early puberty in kids: Signs, symptoms and causes By Alison Stanton
For many pre-teens and tweens, puberty seems to be a rite of passage. Many women remember going out to buy their first bras, and guys recall when their voices began to change. Dr. Allison Kaplan, a Chandler resident who works at Desert Grove Family Medical, a practice that has an office in Gilbert, says that puberty is defined as the process when boys and girls develop their secondary sexual characteristics that include growing to their adult height and maturing genitalia. “A parent should first notice growth in their ‘private’ areas followed by pubic hair and then lastly, increasing height and muscle mass,” she says, adding that such as an endocrinologist’s recommenthan expected or out-of-order, then girls can begin puberty as early as 8 years dations and/or medication to slow the you may want to see a physician for old and boys at 9 years old. maturation process.” evaluation.” In some cases, says Dr. Zafar Quadir, The decision to treat precocious Quadir, who is seeing more cases of a pediatrician at Banner Health Center in early puberty than before, says that while puberty depends on the cause, Quadir Chandler, children will show signs and most cases of precocious puberty have no says, and may involve either hormone symptoms of puberty before reaching treatments or surgery. The child’s doctor known cause, obesity is thought by some these ages. Called precocious puberty, should keep in mind many factors when to be an underlying reason, as Quadir says symptoms in girls deciding whether or not to treat him or are radiation treatments for include breast growth and the her; these include the child’s general cancer, social factors and envistart of menstruation, and health status and medical history, the ronmental contamination. facial hair, while boys will severity of the symptoms, the child’s “We are finding out more have a deepening voice and ability to tolerate medical procedures every day about chemicals in an enlarged penis and and take medicine and the parents’ our environment, including testicles. desires regarding treatment. personal care products, house“A child’s doctor may want “The goal of treatment for the hyperhold products and cleaners, to do some tests to find out if secretion of androgen and estrogen is to and foods, and the ways they there is an underlying medical stop, and possibly reverse, disrupt our endocrine condition. Some causes of the onset of early puberty system,” Quadir says. early puberty include congenital symptoms,” he says. “Looking at studies adrenal hyperplasia, McCune- USUALLY NOTHING TO Although there are Albright Syndrome and spina WORRY ABOUT: In the vast done with animals and majority of cases of early medical reasons for precohumans, many of these bifida with hydrocephalus,” puberty that he sees in his ‘endocrine disruptors’ cious puberty, Wooten Quadir says. patients, Dr. Duane Wooten says he also finds that Dr. Duane Wooten, a pedi- says it is due to no known seem to play a role in most of his patients go atrician at Rainbow Pediatrics, or serious medical reasons. changing puberty timSubmitted photo through early puberty for ing. The timing and which has an office in no known or concerning amount of exposure to Chandler, says that the early reason. the suspect chemicals need more development of pubic hair is what tends “In the vast majority to cause parents to make an appointment study to better understand how of cases, I just reassure the they affect timing of puberty.” for their child to be examined. COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Dr. Zafar Quadir parents and the child that Wooten says he feels strongly “Sometimes they will have peach fuzz says girls who are showing it is nothing to worry that the addition of horin their private area, and signs of early puberty will about, and that it is just a mones in food also has this is not abnormal, but often experience breast part of them.” had an influence on early growth, and young boys’ significant coarse hair is a voices will begin to deepen. puberty. sign of early puberty. There Alison Stanton is a “It’s definitely true that Submitted photo has to be a combination of freelance writer who lives hormones in food have at least two symptoms for a in the East Valley. She can be reached at influenced this. Over time, the child to be diagnosed with alison@santansun.com. average onset of puberty has early puberty,” Wooten gone down by two years, and says. kids are developing earlier on the Resources As Kaplan explains, whole. It wasn’t like this back in puberty is caused from speWebsites: the early 1900s.” cific hormonal surges in the • mayoclinic.com/health/ Children who develop signs brain that start a cascade of TESTING CAN BE BENEFIprecocious-puberty/DS00883 CIAL: Dr. Allison Kaplan of early puberty should be evaluother hormones such as • kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sexual/ ated by their physician for cergrowth hormone, estrogen says young children who precocious.html are showing signs of early tain conditions, Kaplan says. and testosterone. puberty should be evalu“The doctor would start with “The timing of these trig- ated for any underlying Books: a good history, physical, and a gers can vary greatly among health issues. • “Early Puberty in Girls: The Essential Guide to Submitted photo left wrist X-ray to begin the children based on Coping with This Common Problem,” evaluation,” she says. multifactorial issues such as genetics, by Paul Kaplowitz “If all of those three components are environment, and weight,” Kaplan says, • “‘What’s Happening to Me?’ A Guide to within normal limits, then it’s likely the adding that when something disrupts Puberty,” by Peter Mayle child has a nonworrisome condition that this normal process, a child may mature • “My Body, My Self for Boys: Revised Edition may need only observation. Any abnortoo early or too late. (What’s Happening to My Body?),” mal finding may need further evaluation “If your child begins puberty earlier by Lynda Madaras