During adrenarche, the adrenal glands, which sit on the kidneys, begin to churn out weak "male" hormones. That, in turn, can cause kids to develop some pubic hair, underarm hair and body odor.
Adrenarche is usually normal in girls who are at least 8 years old, and boys who are at least 9 years old. Even when pubic and underarm hair appear in children younger than this, it is still usually nothing to worry about, but your child does need to see their pediatrician for an exam.
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.
Pubic hair of infancy is due to transiently elevated androgen levels in the first few months of life and increased sensitivity of sexual hair follicles to androgens. Precocious puberty can be differentiated by the concomitant appearance of pubic hair with breast development in girls or testicular enlargement in boys.
—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.
It's not uncommon for young children to show certain traits associated with puberty, including some pubic hair, underarm hair and the beginnings of breast development, said Dr. Paul Kaplowitz, who led the American Academy of Pediatrics report.
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.
(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.
If your child is experiencing signs of early puberty, they may have premature adrenarche. Remember that this is not a serious condition, but your child's body is following its own maturation schedule.
Premature adrenarche doesn't require treatment. However, it will cause your child's body to change sooner than those of her peers, and this may make her feel self-conscious. It's important to reassure her that the changes in her body are completely normal, even if she is experiencing them earlier than other children.
In females: The hormones tell the ovaries to make the hormone estrogen and triggers the growth and release of eggs. Other puberty hormones come from the adrenal glands, a pair of glands that sit at the top of the kidneys. These hormones lead to the growth of pubic and underarm hair, body odor, and acne.
If you want to avoid the stubbly look you can get from shaving, you can use depilatories or wax. A depilatory is a cream or liquid that removes hair from the skin's surface. Depilatories work quickly, are available at drugstores and grocery stores, and are painless.
Handling the Adrenarche Phase
Make sure to "be consistent, firm, and fair." And work together to come up with strategies to help your little one deal with their feelings. "One way could be to encourage them to take deep breaths when they are feeling annoyed," says Joshi.
Higher total protein, animal protein and meat intake in children ages 3 to 7 have been associated with earlier onset of menstruation. High protein intake elevates IGF-1 levels and promotes growth, which could accelerate the onset of puberty.
Adrenarche occurs starting at the age of 6 years. After the first year of life, the adrenal glands secrete very low levels of adrenal androgens. Adrenarche begins on average between age 5 to 8 in girls and between 7 and 11 in boys, and precedes puberty by about 2 years.
The cause of precocious puberty often can't be found. Rarely, certain conditions, such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries, may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development.
Treatment for premature adrenarche
There is no treatment that will cause the pubic and/or underarm hair to go away. Medications that slow down the progression of true precocious puberty have no effect on the adrenal hormones made in children with PA. Deodorants are helpful for controlling body odor and are safe.
According to research published in BMC Pediatrics, adrenarche is a normal process that all kids go through. It's not premature puberty, but marks the beginning of the process of puberty, the beginning results of which won't be seen for another two years or so.
Generally, the only abnormal blood test is an increase in the level of DHEA-S, the major circulating adrenal androgen. Many doctors only test children who, in addition to pubic hair, have very rapid growth and/or enlargement of the genitals or breast development.
Our results revealed that children with ADHD have a higher risk of central precocious puberty, with an HR of 1.51. Even after excluding the data from 2000–2001 and 2000–2005, children with ADHD still had a higher risk, with an HR of 1.41 (Table 3). The risk of central precocious puberty was higher in girls.
Premature adrenarche has no adverse effects on the onset and progression of gonadarche in final height.
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. Height increases by about 2¾ inches per year.
Like clothing or hairstyle, maintaining pubic hair is a matter of individual preference. Some teens don't do anything with their pubic hair, leaving it to grow naturally. Some girls remove hair when they'll be wearing a bathing suit, and some remove hair regularly as part of their beauty routine.