Starting puberty at 9?

amother

Ecru

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 8:59 pm

Is it normal and healthy to start puberty at 9? My daughter is starting puberty and she is really short and only 9!
Is this normal??

amother

Mint

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 9:13 pm

Precocious puberty is when a child's body begins changing into that of an adult (puberty) too soon. Puberty that begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys is considered precocious puberty.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/dis.....51811

flmommy

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 9:19 pm

Ask your ped. One sign of puberty doesn’t mean real puberty. My ped did a hand x-ray to check my 8 year olds growth plate. Thankfully it was fine... signed worried mother of an 8 year old with pubic hair.

amother

Ecru

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 9:22 pm

her growth plate was behind in age- she is currently on growth hormone because she isn't growing or gaining weight and now this!

flmommy

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 9:26 pm

Sorry OP Ecru I didn’t realize you had already done that. I hope Dr says all is fine. Sounds stressful for both of you.

amother

Amethyst

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 9:32 pm

It's happening earlier and earlier for many girls. Probably due to all the hormones put into our food supply. I was shocked to hear from a pediatrician friend of mine that she sees girls as young as 8 getting their periods.

amother

Wine

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 11:16 pm

It's in the early range of normal. But to make sure she gets as tall as she can, she can be put on a medication that prevents her period from coming until she grows taller.

yitel

Thu, Oct 04 2018, 11:52 pm

I heard of a metal inserted underneath the skin that stops the period from coming and it’s removed once satisfactory growth has been achieved. Ask your Endo what options you have.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Oct 05 2018, 12:22 am

amother wrote:

her growth plate was behind in age- she is currently on growth hormone because she isn't growing or gaining weight and now this!

Was she checked for Growth Hormone Deficiency before being started on GH? If she does not have an issue with low/no production of GH, injecting her may not help and may be a bad idea.

There is a Monsey View article on this, just today came out.

themonseyview.com

amother

Plum

Fri, Oct 05 2018, 1:33 am

By starting puberty do you mean she has breast buds or that she has her period? Breast buds usually come first, and are not uncommon at age 9. A few girls had their first bras in third grade (ages 8-9) and at least half of the girls in my class got their first bra in 4th grade (ages 9-10). I got mine when I was 9.5 and that was my first sign of puberty.

Getting a period at age 9 is unusual, but not unheard of. Anecdotally -- I have a friend who got her period at age 9 and she is perfectly healthy, thin + fit, no fertility problems, and average height.

amother

Cobalt

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 8:30 pm

yitel wrote:

I heard of a metal inserted underneath the skin that stops the period from coming and it’s removed once satisfactory growth has been achieved. Ask your Endo what options you have.

I wonder if it's hereditary to get it early. This metal thing sounds great. I got my period at 11 and I'm 150 cm. It's always bothered me. My daughter is 8 now hope it doesn't happen to her.

987gold

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 8:35 pm

Is your child eating enough and the right foods? Carbs protein fat etc. I have seen that kids that aren't eating enough are not growing properly

amother

Blonde

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 8:51 pm

I took my 8 year old to the endocrinologist because she's big for her age and started getting pubic hair so I got nervous. The doctor told me that girls get both male and female hormones at puberty and sometimes they get the male hormones first which causes pubic hair but not period. He said her "breast buds" were not more just from being "large"- for her age, aka it was fat, and and not actually a sign of puberty and her pediatrician agreed. I'm still glad I checked it out.
I got my period when I was 11 and I'm 5"4. 11 is totally normal, 9 is the early side of normal but as a parent younger then probably most of us would prefer.

amother

Babyblue

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 11:23 pm

Hi, I had growth hormone deficiency as a kid and started the shots at age 10. I started developing within 2 months after beginning the shots -- this is common, apparently the surge in growth after beginning the shots triggers estrogen production. Yet it took another 4 years to start having regular periods, and I stopped growing well into high school, even after I elected to stop the shots in ninth grade after reaching 5 feet. (I now know that the shots also help with developing bone density, so I regret that decision.) Bh I have not had anything close to a fertility problem...

Librarian

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 11:28 pm

Did your daughter have an MRI of her pituitary before the doctor started her on growth hormones?

amother

Pearl

Sat, Oct 06 2018, 11:49 pm

amother wrote:

I wonder if it's hereditary to get it early. This metal thing sounds great. I got my period at 11 and I'm 150 cm. It's always bothered me. My daughter is 8 now hope it doesn't happen to her.

I got my period at 11 and I’m 5’9”. Stopped growing at 12. Chances are your height has nothing to do with when you got your period. Ftr 11 isn’t all that early