Precocious puberty criteria
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753
Overview
Diagnostic Criteria
Studies indicate that breast development in girls and pubic hair in girls and boys is starting earlier than in previous generations. As a result, "early puberty" in children as young as 9 and 10 is no longer considered abnormal, although it may be upsetting to parents and can increase the risk of alcohol and drug use as well as other social problems.
No single age limit reliably separates normal from abnormal processes in children today, but the following age thresholds for evaluation will minimize the risk of missing a significant medical problem:
- Pubic hair or genital enlargement in boys with onset before 9 years.
- Breast development in boys before appearance of pubic hair and testicular enlargement.
- Pubic hair before 8 or breast development in girls with onset before 7 years.
- Menstruation in girls before 10 years.