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. 1.
Hormonal basis
It is normal for production of these hormones to increase (something we call adrenarche) and for pubic hair to appear after age 8 in girls or 9 in boys. The reason why this increase occurs earlier in some children is not known.
The average age when pubic hair was first noted by a caregiver was 5.3 2.5 months (range: 2–9 months). The average age when infants were seen in our clinic and diagnosed with pubic hair of infancy was 8.3 2.0 months (range: 5.5–11.5 months).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Premature pubarche (PP) is defined as the appearance of pubic hair before 8 yr of age in girls and 9 yr in boys, without other signs of puberty. The appearance of pubarche before one year of life is rare, with few reports in the literature.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sometimes, treatment of a related health problem can stop the precocious puberty. But in most cases, there's no other disease, so treatment usually involves hormone therapy to stop sexual development. The currently approved hormone treatment is with drugs called LHRH analogs.
Premature adrenarche has no adverse effects on the onset and progression of gonadarche in final height.
Treating central precocious puberty
This treatment, called GnRH analogue therapy, usually includes a monthly injection of a medication, such as leuprolide acetate (Lupron Depot), or triptorelin (Trelstar, Triptodur Kit), which delays further development. Some newer formulations can be given at longer intervals.
(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.
Adrenarche is the term for the maturational increase in adrenal androgen production that normally becomes biochemically apparent by a rise in serum levels of the 19-carbon (C19) 17-ketosteroid androgen precursor dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) at approximately six years of age in both girls and boys (figure 1) [ ...
In most cases, yes. Some toddlers have fine, downy hair on the arms, legs, back, or even face. The reason for it is most likely genetics — if you or your child's other parent had a lot of body hair as a toddler (or someone in either of your families did), your toddler simply "inherited" the body hair.