© 2002 Archives of Disease in Childhood
LEADING ARTICLE
Endocrinology
Precocious puberty: a parent's perspective
Romford, Essex, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Mr E O'Sullivan, 176 Brian Road, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex RM6 5BS, UK;
osullivanassoc@eircom.net
How bad can it get?
Keywords: precocious puberty; growth; gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogue
We are writing as parents of a young girl who "suffers" from precocious puberty and we use the word suffers without reservation despite the fact that:
- Puberty is a normal process
- No underlying cause triggering her puberty has been determined.
Our daughter started to show physical signs of development, for example, breast development combined with pubic hair, at 6
years, and within a year experienced her first period. We were devastated by this event, as our local general practitioner had told us that there was nothing to worry about, and that we were imagining and exaggerating things. Our ongoing concerns for an explanation and regular visits to the surgery were seen as pushy and demanding. Surely confronted with this period, an obvious sign of female maturity arriving very early, we would get help and support. Regrettably, it didn't get any easier.
The good news was that the general paediatrician
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