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Conditions

Precocious Puberty

Precocious Puberty

This unusual condition results in the very early onset of puberty and its associated symptoms and changes. This includes early growth of pubic hair, breast growth amongst girls and development of the male genitalia. Although there is no official ‘norm’ for starting puberty, precocious puberty normally refers to the onset of these symptoms significantly earlier than 8 years old. Although there have been cases linked to hormonal problems and brain injury, most cases have no clear cause. One of the key concerns surrounding precocious puberty is that it leads to a growth spurt that leaves children taller than other kids for a while, but then significantly shorter in later life. Treatment is normally focussed on hormone therapy to try and control the development rate.

Comments and Questions

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

i started my periods at the age f ten i am now sixteen, they are still unregular and although i was once the tallest in my class since going to secondary school i havent grown atall(5 years) i am now significantly smaller than the rest. I wouldnt mind so much but my parents are both tall, mum - 5'8 dad 5'11 and i am only 5'3 ... help!





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Hello im 14 and my penis is very small for my age i feel very embarrased beacuse most of my friends have a normal sized one is there some kind of disaiblity or malfunction?





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are you supposed to have spots around the vagina? and i have cut the underneath whilst shaving a little bit, is this going to get any worse?





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hi, im 15 and i started my periods last year, however i do not get them every month, sometimes i miss 3 months. i was wondering if it had anything to do with vaginal discharge as i have been experiencing that for a couple of years?





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Its normal hun , myn was irregular for about 2 years after i started , its just your bodys way of sorting you out , ready to have a baby when your older :) dont worry xx

Im 13 and havn't started my period and all of my friends have why havn't I?





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Try not to worry about it it hun. I had friend in school who didnt start till she was 14 or 15. everything was perfectly fine. Shez 20 years old now and has a 5month baby boy.x

after my last period i realised my virgina started to smell slightly fishy and as the days went by the smell became more offensive. i now dont want to leave the house. what is it and what can i do?





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Hi, i'm 13 and i have started my periods, puberty hit me when i was about eleven may boobs srarted to grow hair excetra, but for the past two years my boobs haven't grown anymore then what they were two years ago, is something wrong?





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hey, my periods started when i was 11 aswel. my breast starting growing when i was 11 too. but when i was 12 towards the end of year7 they stopped growing and didnt really grow again till i was 16. i am 20 years old now and i noticed my breast are stil growing. so maybe the same thing will happpen to you. sorry if it's not good news but you'll get over it hun x

im 14 and i still havent started my period. all of my friends have but i started puberty about 3 years ago. its really annoying and i keep getting alot of dischage in my pants and i have for about 2 years. is this normal?





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Hi, Im 15 years old and have normal regular periods. The only problem is, i suffer from stomach migranes within the first couple of ddays of the period. I went to the doctors and was prescribed menafenimic acid. This works but it causes large clots which also can be painful. I have been told about the pill but I dont want to start until i am 16. Any advice?





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Hi, im 13 and im having really bad discharge.All my other friends have started there periods and i havnt.I dont know what to do.Please help me!





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Dont panic for a start! everyone is different but the discharge you are experiencing suggests that you will be starting soon. Always keep a sanitary towel with you just incase. I started at swimming lessons.

dont worry that was the same with me they will come soon you just have to give it time





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It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





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