Precocious Puberty
Aka: Precocious Puberty, Premature Sexual Development
II. Epidemiology
- Girls: Benign central cause in 50 to 90%
- Boys: Pathologic peripheral cause in 50%
III. Definition: Precocious Puberty
- Girls
- Boys
- Testes > 2.5 cm (>3 ml vol) before age 9 years
- Pubic hair before age 9 years
IV. History
- Timing of secondary sexual characteristics
- Body odor
- Breast Development or Testicular Development
- Pubic and axillary hair
- Acne
- Exposures
- Exogenous sex steroids
- Head Trauma
- Radiation Therapy or exposure
- Other history
- Family History of Precocious Puberty
- Brain malignancy
- Symptoms
- Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism symptoms
- Abdominal Pain (malignancy)
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Genital Trauma or sexual abuse
- McCune-Albright Syndrome
V. Exam
- Constitutional
- Plot height, weight and Body Mass Index on growth curves
- Calculate Growth Velocity
- Calculate Midparental Height
- Compare Midparental Height with projected height from growth curve
- Abnormal if difference >10 cm
- Findings
- Body mass increased (associated with Precocious Puberty)
- Pubertal growth spurt (greater than the 5 cm basal rate)
- Short Stature (Thyroid disease)
- Plot height, weight and Body Mass Index on growth curves
- Head and Neck
- Thyromegaly
- Genitourinary
- Sexual maturity staging (Tanner Stage)
- Asymmetric Testes (gonadal mass)
- Clitoromegaly (Hyperandrogenism)
- Vagina
- Dull pink instead of red due to Estrogen exposure
- Neurologic
- Focal neurologic deficits (intracranial lesion)
- Skin
- Hirsutism
- Hyperandrogenism (androgen-secreting tumor, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia)
- Cafe Au Lait spots
- McCune-Albright Syndrome
- Neurofibromatosis
- Hirsutism
VI. Findings: Red Flags suggesting pathologic cause
- Premature Puberty in very young children
- Contrasexual development
- Feminization in boys
- Virilization in girls
- Peripheral cause (often asynchronous development)
- Penis enlarges without scrotal enlargement
- Extensive pubic Hair Growth
- Menarche without Breast bud development in girls
- Precocious Puberty in boys (50% pathologic)
- Visual field deficit suggests pituitary mass
VII. Causes
VIII. Labs (See Evaluation below)
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
- Luteinizing hormone (LH)
- Estradiol Level (in girls)
- Testosterone Level (in boys)
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
- Serum Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)
- Screen for gonadotropin secreting tumor
- Consider GnRH Stimulation Test
- See additional evaluation for Step 2c below
- 17-Hydroxyprogesterone
- Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone (Serum DHEA)
IX. Imaging (See Evaluation below)
- Left wrist radiograph for Bone Age
- Consider Head MRI
- Screen for pituitary or other CNS Lesion
- See additional evaluation for Step 2c below
X. Evaluation: Step 1 – Initial Evaluation
- Clinical history and physical
- Exogenous Sex Hormone sources
- Androgens and Anabolic Steroids in boys
- Oral Contraceptive use in girls
- Estrogen or placental containing hair products
- Common use in African American girls
- Associated with Breast or pubic hair development
- Evaluate Pubertal Milestones (See Tanner Staging)
- Evaluate growth chart
- Obtain Left Wrist XRay for Bone Age
XI. Evaluation: Step 2a – Unremarkable Evaluation in Step 1
- Findings
- Early, but normal Puberty
- Bone Age exceeds Chronological age
- Early growth spurt and initially taller than peers
- Early epiphyseal closure and short in adulthood
- Diagnosis
- Constitutional or Idiopathic Precocious Puberty
- Further evaluation
- Observation
- Consider further diagnostic testing (see above)
- All labs at pubertal levels
- All imaging studies normal
- Management
- Counseling and reassurance
- Consider GnRH analog to suppress FSH and LH
- Leuprolide (Lupron) long acting injectable
- Nafarelin (Synarel) short acting intranasal
XII. Evaluation: Step 2b – Normal Variation in Step 1
- Findings
- Early, but normal Puberty
- Bone Age consistent with Chronological age
- Diagnosis: Benign Premature Adrenarche
- Girls
- Benign Premature Thelarche
- Glandular Breast tissue
- Benign premature Menarche
- Prepubertal Vaginal Bleeding
- Benign Premature Adrenarche
- Pubic and axillary hair, body odor or acne
- Distinguish from Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, cortisol excess, adrenal tumor (see step 2c)
- Fatty Breast tissue (Lipomastia)
- Benign Premature Thelarche
- Boys
- Benign Gynecomastia of Adolescence
- Familial Gynecomastia
- Consider evaluation for alternative causes of persistent Gynecomastia for >18-24 months
- Testicular Cancer
- Adrenal adenoma
- Performance enhancing drugs
- Hypogonadism (e.g. Klinefelter Syndrome)
- Girls
- Further evaluation
- Observation over 3-6 months
- Consider further laboratory testing for progressive symptoms (see diagnostics above and to Step 2c below)
- Management
- Counseling and reassurance
XIII. Evaluation: Step 2c – Abnormal Evaluation in Step 1
- Findings
- Abnormal Pubertal Milestone sequence
- Bone Age variable
- May be consistent with Chronological age
- Differential Diagnosis (pathologic cause suspected)
- See Precocious Puberty Causes
- Central Precocious Puberty due to idiopathic or CNS Lesion (pubertal LH and gonad size)
- Features
- Despite Precocious Puberty, otherwise normal development
- More common in girls than boys (by 10 fold)
- Typically idiopathic in girls, but more likely to be pathologic in boys (e.g. Head Trauma, Brain Tumor)
- Consider Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) therapy (e.g. Lupron)
- Early initiation before epiphyseal closure preserves height potential
- Brain MRI indications
- Features
- Peripheral Precocious Puberty (prepubertal LH and gonad size)
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, cortisol excess, adrenal tumor
- Consider Corticotropin Stimulation Test, adrenal imaging, Cushing Syndrome
- Endocrinology referral
- Exogenous sex steroid exposure
- Hypothyroidism
- Ovarian tumor
- Elevated estradiol level and low LH level seen with Estrogen-secreting tumors
- Testicular Tumor
- McCune-Albright Syndrome
- Neurofibromatosis
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, cortisol excess, adrenal tumor
- Further evaluation
- Further laboratory testing (see above)
- Additional lab testing (esp. Virilization, hyperandrogenic effects in girls)
- 17-Hydroxyprogesterone
- Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone (Serum DHEA)
- Additional imaging (suspect peripheral cause)
- Pelvic Ultrasound of Ovaries
- Consider Adrenal MRI
- Management
- Assess for exogenous sex steroid exposure
- Treat based on underlying cause
XIV. References
- Blondell (1999) Am Fam Physician 60:209-24 [PubMed]
- Fahmy (2000) Br J Radiol 73(869):560-7 [PubMed]
- Foster (1992) Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 19:59-70 [PubMed]
- Klein (2017) Am Fam Physician 96(9): 590-99 [PubMed]
- Styne (1997) Pediatr Clin North Am 44(2):505-29 [PubMed]
- Tiwary (1998) Clin Pediatr 37(12):733-9 [PubMed]
- Walvoord (1999) Pediatrics 104(4):1010-4 [PubMed]