Growth and changes in our bodies are part of everyone’s life, even though some of these changes are much more drastic and noticeable, such as childhood and all its transition to adolescence and adulthood. Because of this, parents are often unsure what to do when an unexpected or untimely change occurs. This is often the case with premature adrenarche, which occurs in some children and raises many questions for many parents. The development of a child goes through several phases before reaching puberty, but it is usually expected that puberty starts between the ages of 12 and 13, although in the past this type of change was considered to happen between 15 and 16 years old. Premature adrenarche can be a sign that the child is having early puberty, which needs to be treated by a medical specialist to avoid any problems in the child’s development. But to clearly understand what it is and what are the effects of premature adrenarche on someone’s body, we need to discuss each of these aspects in more depth.

What is Premature Adrenarche?

For a child to have premature adrenarche is one of the signs that they may be experiencing early puberty. This is because premature adrenarche is nothing more than the growth of pubic and underarm hair before the normal time, as well as increased sweat production. In other words, it is considered premature adrenarche when there is the appearance of hair at 8 years old in girls and at 9 in boys. It is important to pay attention and see if your children have any of these symptoms, as they can indicate signs of early puberty and might require treatment.

Main Symptoms of Premature Adrenarche

Some symptoms can be identified and pointed out as premature adrenarche, the main ones are:

  • The appearance of pubic hair before the age of 9;
  • The appearance of many pimples on the child’s face;
  • High sweat production before age 9;
  • Underarm odor;
  • Increased skin oiliness;
  • The appearance of hair in the armpits

The exact reason is not known, but premature adrenarche appears more frequently in African-descendant girls, but it can appear in both sexes and in people of any ethnicity. It is also necessary to pay attention to whether these signs are occurring in isolation, so as not to confuse premature adrenarche with early puberty.

How Does Premature Adrenarche Occur?

Premature adrenarche occurs when the production of androgens is much higher than normal and earlier than it should be. The causes for this are still not fully known, although, as we mentioned earlier, premature adrenarche affects girls much more than boys.

What to Do if Your Child Has Premature Adrenarche?

The first step to take when you notice your child has any of these symptoms is to take them to the doctor for an evaluation and to receive a diagnosis. It is very common for parents to be frightened when faced with some of these symptoms and to feel afraid that their child has something serious. Premature adrenarche is not a reason to panic, it can be treated and managed so that there are no changes in the child’s growth. There is also the child’s perspective in this situation, as these changes happening to their body so early can raise a lot of questions, and often make them feel embarrassed, which can lead to developing psychosocial problems. Here, the parents’ role is to talk with the child and explain what is happening, that it is a normal process but requires treatment. It is important to speak without showing any fear, so the child feels comfortable and safe with the situation.

Treatment for Premature Adrenarche

Premature adrenarche is a benign manifestation, meaning, it poses no danger to the child. In fact, what we refer to as treatment for premature adrenarche is more appropriately considered guidance. This is because no medication or therapy is used in order for the effects to stop manifesting. The doctor may recommend the use of some products like deodorants to control underarm odor in the child. It is also expected that puberty will start slightly earlier in children who have premature adrenarche, but this is nothing parents need to worry about.

Careful Monitoring

The child should be under constant observation by both parents and the doctor to make sure no other symptoms are appearing and that they are not experiencing early puberty, which could require a different treatment and present different risks to the child’s health. Although we go through many changes throughout life, not all of them happen when we expect and not always in the way we expect. Still, in cases like premature adrenarche, it is very important to pay attention to the changes and transformations our children’s bodies are going through. After all, as we have seen here, many times these transformations demand certain kinds of care so that there are no negative consequences in their lives and that it does not affect them in the future. Problems can always happen with our children, but if we pay attention, most of them can be resolved if we take proper care. Also see: The Importance of Talking About Sex With Your Children Photo: taylorjamesphotos