Kaplowitz said, "It's not at all unusual to see early pubic hair development," noting it even happens in infants. While parents often find that alarming, Kaplowitz said, it is usually benign—especially if the child is showing no genital enlargement, and body growth is on a normal pace.
Premature pubarche, or the development of pubic hair before the age of 8 in girls or 9 in boys, is most commonly caused by premature adrenarche. Adrenarche is the maturation of the adrenal zona reticularis in both boys and girls, resulting in the development of pubic hair, axillary hair, and adult apocrine body odor.
—Public hair developing before age 1 year is rare and to our knowledge, development of pubic hair before age 6 months has not been previously reported. We describe our experience with three infant girls who developed pubic hair within the first year of life.
In Stage 2, physical changes begin. Between the ages of 8 and 13, girls typically experience: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areolas (pigmented area around the nipple) enlarge. Scant pubic hair appears.
Similarly, some girls and boys may have early growth of pubic and/or underarm hair or body odor that isn't related to other changes in sexual development. This is called premature adrenarche (ah-druh-NAR-kee). These kids may need to see their doctor to rule out "true" precocious puberty.
At a very young age, children begin to explore their bodies. They may touch, poke, pull or rub their body parts, including their genitals. It is important to keep in mind that these behaviors are not sexually motivated. They typically are driven by curiosity and attempts at self-soothing.
Puberty that happens early is called precocious puberty. This means a child's physical signs of sexual maturity develop too soon. Precocious puberty happens before age 8 in girls, and before age 9 in boys. Signs can include breast growth, pubic hair, and voice changes.
For most children, early puberty starts for no known reason. It can run in families. Sometimes there is a problem in the brain, such as an injury, a tumor or an infection. Early puberty can also be caused by a problem in the sex glands (testes or ovaries), the thyroid gland or the adrenal glands.
“Most instances of early puberty don't present a health risk to children, but it's worth contacting your pediatrician in case your family doctor feels it's important to run any tests,” Dr. Benjamin said. “It's rare, but there are cases where early puberty can be a sign of something that needs treatment.”
Premature adrenarche is caused when the adrenal gland begins secreting sex hormones called androgens earlier than normal. In most cases, it's not that more androgen is being made, it's that the standard amount is being made earlier than normal.
Kaplowitz said, "It's not at all unusual to see early pubic hair development," noting it even happens in infants. While parents often find that alarming, Kaplowitz said, it is usually benign—especially if the child is showing no genital enlargement, and body growth is on a normal pace.
The term adrenarche refers to the point when your adrenal cortex matures. This maturation typically occurs around five years of age and causes an increase in certain hormones.
But if this is truly pubic hair, your baby may have a condition called premature adrenarche, which can trigger the growth of underarm and pubic hair. The condition is the result of a sex hormone surge, which isn't serious, but should be monitored by a pediatrician.
Dorn et al. (1999a, 2008) found that girls and boys with premature adrenarche (a clinical term characterizing high levels of DHEA and Tanner stage 2 pubic hair in 6–8 year olds) demonstrate increased levels of depression, anxiety and behavioral problems compared with their normatively developing peers.
When your daughter starts to go through puberty, her gonads (ovaries) and adrenal glands (glands that sit on top of the kidneys) release hormones. These hormones cause the first signs of puberty, which are breast development, body odor, underarm hair, pubic hair and acne (pimples).
If not diagnosed and treated at an early stage, central precocious puberty (CPP) can compromise final adult height, cause incongruity between psychological and physical development, and may also trigger psychological problems arising from early menarche.
Precocious puberty is rare, meaning it affects about 1% or less of the U.S. population. Many more girls are affected than boys. One study suggests that African American girls have some early breast development or some early pubic hair more often than white girls or Hispanic girls.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence that drinking milk causes early puberty. In the United States, girls are entering puberty at younger ages than they were in the first half of the 20th century. Researchers do not know the exact trigger for early-onset puberty, although it is likely influenced by many factors.
In recent years, some reports of CPP have been reported in children with ASD [4-7]. David and Mark [7] reported that the precocious puberty rate was 3.15 times higher in the ASD group than in the control group and that precocious puberty was more likely to occur after three years of age.
High protein intake elevates IGF-1 levels and promotes growth, which could accelerate the onset of puberty. Poor diet. Children with lower-nutrient diets tend to enter puberty earlier. A diet rich in processed foods and meats, dairy, and fast food is disruptive to normal physical development.
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years.
The peak growth spurt for boys happens later than it does for girls. It occurs around six months after pubic hair development.
At around 12 years old, on average, females will begin to see hair growth under the arms. Pubic hair will start growing along the labia and will gradually become thicker, curlier, and cover a larger area of the vulva. In the final stages of puberty, pubic hair may grow around the top of the thighs.
Determining the type of precocious puberty
To do so, he or she will perform a test called a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test. In this test, the doctor will take a blood sample, and then give your child a shot containing the GnRH hormone.