Re: The girls who started going through puberty at age THREE

[Guest guest]

My daughter was evaluated for early onset puberty at Children's

Hospital in Durham.

She was three and developing breast ... as well as some minor hair in

her private areas...

After weeks and weeks and weeks of test ... it was determined her

hair grease we used had growth hormones within it .... Consequently

it was causing her to develop quicker than normal.

We removed the grease ... she quit developing to quickly. She is now

8 and no farther along in the process of development than normal kids

her age.

Growth hormones should not be allowed into any of our foods/beauty

supplies ... but they are there ... and I believe account for a great

many of our children's rapid growth issues.

Melinda

>

> The girls who started going through puberty at THREE

>

> by NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH -

> 13th January 2008

> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?

in_article_id=508020 & in_page_id=1879

> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?

in_article_id=508020 & in_page_id=1879#StartComments>

>

>

> At the age of three, the worries of most little girls rarely

stretch

> beyond what outfit to dress their dolls in, and how to ride a bike.

>

> But for Hayley , her third year brought a set of problems most

> children her age wouldn't even have heard of, let alone been able

to

> comprehend - puberty.

>

> While her baby-sized friends enjoyed the simplest of life's

pleasures,

> Hayley spent her time laid up on the sofa with period pains.

>

> She also had to put up with other un-pleasantries of puberty,

including

> body odour, greasy hair and mood swings.

>

> Not surprisingly, her parents, Debbie, 41, a chemist and , 45,

a

> project manager from Nottingham, were left both distraught and

baffled

> by the changes in their daughter's body, and behaviour.

>

> Ellie Mae-Holden

>

> [foto] Growing pains: Ellie Mae-Holden had treatment to prevent the

> early onset of puberty

>

> -!-

>

> " I first noticed Hayley had body odour shortly after she'd turned

> three, " says Debbie, who also has a 12-year-old son, Carl.

>

> " Around the same time, she suddenly gained a lot of weight, despite

not

> eating any more than she usually did. I thought it was very odd,

and I

> mentioned it to my mother.

>

> " When she told me that you wouldn't expect body odour until a child

was

> approaching their teens, I felt sick with worry. I knew something

wasn't

> right. Then, a few months later, I noticed pubic hair growth, and

her

> breasts were beginning to grow too.

>

> " Hayley was still going to nursery, and didn't seem unwell. All she

> wanted to do was make cakes and do colouring in. But and I

were

> very upset, and worried sick.

>

> " Until then, Hayley had been a textbook child, hitting every

> developmental milestone at exactly the right time. We couldn't work

out

> what was happening to her. "

>

> A series of tests with an endocrinologist - a doctor specialising

in

> hormone-related disorders - revealed that Hayley's bone age was

> advanced, but no firm diagnosis was reached.

>

> Instead, her parents say they were made to feel as though they were

> over-reacting. However, by the time Hayley was approaching her

fourth

> birthday, it was clear to Debbie that she was on the verge of

menstruating.

>

> " Hayley started suffering from terrible stomach cramps and mood

swings, "

> says Debbie, who in a bid to raise awareness of the condition is

> appearing on ITV's Tonight programme this evening.

>

> " She'd lie on the sofa, and tell me she felt tired and miserable. I

kept

> a record of when she was unwell in my diary, and I quickly realised

that

> her symptoms were coming in a regular monthly cycle.

>

> " The thought that my three-year-old girl was getting her period

seemed

> incomprehensible, but at the same time, it was becoming obvious to

me

> that her mood swings and stomach cramps were to do with her time of

the

> month.

>

> " The endocrinologist may have dismissed my worries, but I could

just

> tell that my daughter was entering puberty. "

>

> And Debbie's instincts proved to be correct. After numerous

examinations

> and tests over the following 18 months, Hayley, at age six, was

finally

> diagnosed with precocious puberty, a condition in which puberty

begins

> at an unusually early age often due to abnormal production of

oestrogen,

> thought to affect as many as one in six children under ten.

>

> Although her periods didn't start until she was eight, her monthly

cycle

> of stomach cramps and bad moods had been a warning sign that her

ovaries

> were maturing, and were a sign of the fluctuating hormones that

define

> puberty.

>

> Her breasts also grew and Hayley, now aged 12, wears a C cup bra.

>

> " Hayley has always taken it all in her stride, " says Debbie. " I

thought

> for instance that she'd be upset when at five she had to start

using

> deodorant. But she didn't say to anything to me about being

different to

> other children, and she didn't seem to be confused either.

>

> " Instead, she told me she 'liked being like Mummy'. I bought her a

book

> called My Changing Body, which I used to read to her at night time

to

> help her understand what was happening to her, and she didn't seem

> frightened or scared by any of it.

>

> " I meanwhile, was extremely confused as to how it was possible that

a

> child who was only just forming sentences and learning to read and

write

> was developing the body of a growing adult.

>

> " And it did get to her when she was the only girl sitting on the

side of

> the pool in swimming lessons because of her periods. She felt very

left

> out. As a result of the hormone imbalances in her body, the

condition

> has made her overweight and unusually tall for her age, which has

meant

> she has endured some bullying too.

>

> " Things are getting better now that the other girls are catching up

with

> her, but Hayley still struggles to control her weight.

>

> " And I still have sleepless nights about it. Although I've been

> reassured the condition won't affect her future fertility, I find

it

> hard to see how it could have no impact at all. "

>

> And Hayley is far from alone. Over the past century, the normal age

at

> which puberty starts in both boys and girls has dropped by about

two years.

>

> In fact, a recent study showed that British girls today start their

> periods at an average age of ten years and three months, compared

to 11

> years nine months for their mothers and 12 years for their

grandmothers.

>

> But for a small group of children - there are no official figures -

> puberty is coming even earlier.

>

> The condition is more common in girls, but in young boys,

precocious

> puberty causes rapid growth spurts, acne, the growth of facial and

pubic

> hair and a deepening of the voice.

>

> " In most cases, puberty would be considered precocious if it

started in

> a girl aged eight to ten and a little later for boys, " says Tam

Fry,

> spokesperson for the Child Growth Foundation. " But some of the

children

> we have been dealing with have been displaying signs of puberty as

early

> as three years old.

>

> " It is a tremendously concerning condition - both for the parents

and

> for the children in question.

>

> " There are a number of girls who have been left seriously

traumatised by

> going through puberty at a stage where, mentally, they are not

equipped

> to cope with it. And it's very hard to cope in daily life if you're

an

> eight-year-old girl who looks like a mature woman. "

>

> Certainly, that was the experience of Lucia , now 20, who

started

> having periods at the age of six. A graphic design student from

West

> London, Lucia has haunting memories of receiving sexual attention

from

> grown men at a very young age.

>

> " The hardest thing of all about precocious puberty was that men

would

> come on to me as though I was an adult. " I remember walking home

from

> school aged eight, and I'd often get followed by men leering at my

body.

> I was still in primary school and had no idea what was happening. I

used

> to have to phone my mother and get her to come and pick me up. It

was

> really frightening. "

>

> Though she is now able to speak candidly about going through

puberty so

> early, it is clear that even if a child puts on a brave face, life

can

> be very difficult. Lucia says precocious puberty left her isolated

from

> her peers, and lead to frequent medical examinations which

terrified her.

>

> " I don't remember being told I had precocious puberty as such, or

even

> the day my periods started, " says Lucia. " All I remember is feeling

> completely alone and alienated as a child. I was overweight, much

taller

> than everyone else - at one point I grew an inch a month - and I

stood

> out like a sore thumb. At the age of seven, I had the bone age of a

> 14-year-old and was almost five foot tall.

>

> " But it wasn't just my height. My breasts developed too - I had to

wear

> a bra from the age of eight, and the other children teased me

> relentlessly. I also had to cope with terrible acne, greasy hair

and

> huge mood swings.

>

> " I ended up feeling very self-conscious and really uncomfortable in

my

> body. I suffered from terrible growing pains too, and I was far too

> embarrassed to tell my peers about my periods, which left me

feeling as

> though I was carrying a horrible secret around with me. "

>

> Even at secondary school - by which point her peers had started to

catch

> up - Lucia still felt like an outsider.

>

> " I was still larger than the other girls, so I ended up taking on

the

> role of mother hen, " she says. " My peers were beginning to come to

me

> for advice, which helped me feel a bit better about myself.

>

> " But even so, I still knew I was different, and I just wanted to be

like

> everyone else. I think of childhood and my teens as very lonely

times

> indeed. "

>

> While some parents - such as Debbie, and Lucia's parents - chose to

let

> nature take its course and allow puberty to continue, others opt to

give

> their child treatment, which involves suppressing the secretions of

> hormones which initiate puberty with a range of drugs and

injections.

>

> With treatment, actual puberty can be staved off until the child

reaches

> a more appropriate age.

>

> That was the decision taken by Hayley Holden, 31, a full-time mum

from

> Padstow, Cornwall, when she discovered her daughter Ellie Mae, then

just

> three, was on the verge of starting her periods.

>

> Hayley had taken Ellie Mae to the doctor, concerned she was

developing

> breasts. Her GP spotted the signs of precocious puberty immediately.

>

> " I'd never even heard of precocious puberty, and although I was

> concerned enough about Ellie Mae to take her to a doctor, I

actually

> thought I was imagining things, " says Hayley, who is separated from

> Ellie Mae's father and has three other children, twins Charlie and

> Chloe, 11, and Albie, 4.

>

> " But a bone density test revealed that at just three, Ellie Mae had

the

> bone age of a nine-year-old, and I was told that if we didn't

intervene

> with medication, she was just six months away from starting her

periods.

> I was in bits when we got the news. I just had no idea what to

think

> about it. "

>

> " I felt that full-blown puberty at the age of four would be too

much for

> Ellie Mae to cope with,' says Hayley.

>

> " I know how hard it is to go through puberty, and I didn't want

that for

> my daughter at such a young age. I guess I wanted to protect her

from

> puberty for as long as possible. "

>

> As a result of treatment, Ellie Mae's breasts have reduced in size,

and

> her bone age is now just a year older than her natural age. While

this

> gives Ellie Mae a chance of a normal childhood, her mother is still

> troubled by what happened.

>

> " The hardest thing is that we've never been given a reason as to

why

> this happened, and I still to this day struggle to understand how a

> little girl of three could be on the verge of starting her

periods,'

> says Hayley.

>

> " Other people say to me I should feel grateful that she's not

terminally

> ill - and of course I do - but at the same time I worry about her

future.

>

> " Ellie Mae still gets terrible monthly mood swings as well, which

is

> very difficult for everyone else in the house. I also worry about

> whether or not she'll be able to have children, and whether she'll

be at

> increased risk of osteoporosis as her bones have matured so early.

> Unfortunately, no one can give us any definitive answers. "

>

> So what is the cause of precocious puberty? While experts aren't

able to

> give a single explanation, numerous theories exist.

>

> One is that improved nutrition is a factor, as the onset of puberty

is

> believed to be linked to physical size.

>

> Another theory is that the epidemic of childhood obesity is to

blame:

> heavier girls begin their periods earlier due to an increase of the

> puberty-triggering hormone leptin, which is stored in fat cells.

>

> " There is a relationship between childhood nutrition and the age

that

> people pass through puberty,' says Mark Bellis, Professor of Public

> Health at Liverpool's s University.

>

> " Having a calorie-rich diet in childhood, and being obese, brings

the

> age of puberty down. "

>

> Modern social conditions have also been touted as a contributory

factor

> - with research suggesting that children from broken homes

experience

> earlier puberty as the stress of a family breakdown alters the

balance

> of growth hormones.

>

> The arrival of a stepfather in the family home produces new and

> unfamiliar pheromones, chemicals which are believed to hasten the

> arrival of puberty.

>

> " Single-parent families and divorce cause stress that can also

change

> the age of puberty a little, too, " says Mark Bellis.

>

> Early puberty has even been linked to watching too much television -

> Italian researchers found that children who watched three hours of

TV a

> day produced less of the sleep hormone melatonin, low levels of

which

> play an important role in the timing of puberty.

>

> The content of today's television may also be to blame, with young

> children subjected to increasingly sexualised programmes from an

early

> age. Research has shown that watching such images produces

increased

> hormones.

>

> Another theory is that exposure to chemicals in the environment -

which

> mimic the effects of hormones - is causing the drop in puberty age

and

> disrupting the normal timing of sexual maturation.

>

> It is not known whether the condition has any serious longterm

health

> implications, and early puberty has not, at this stage, been linked

to

> early menopause.

>

> However, there is evidence from American studies that children who

> develop early are more likely to be sexually active, smoke, and use

> alcohol and drugs. Sufferers are also more likely to become obese

adults

> or suffer reproductive cancers.

>

> Today, Lucia no longer stands out from her peers, but it is clear

that

> she still carries the legacy of precocious puberty with her, and

its

> potential fertility ramifications weigh heavily on her mind.

>

> " I know I want to be a mother, and even though I've been told

things

> should be fine, I can't help but feel concerned that I'll enter the

> menopause early, or find out I'm infertile, " she says.

>

> " I just have to hope that the doctors are right and I will be able

to

> conceive. I try not to think about it too much, but the thought is

> always at the back of my mind. It's a worry I carry with me every

day. "

>

> . TEENS TOO SOON: Tonight With Trevor Mc is on ITV1 this

evening,

> at 8pm.

>

> *

>

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> and educational purposes.For more information go to:

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>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Melinda,

Thnx for the insight!

Re: The girls who started going through puberty at age THREE

Posted by: " livninfaith " gmalleyne@... livninfaith

Date: Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:18 am ((PST))

My daughter was evaluated for early onset puberty at Children's

Hospital in Durham.

She was three and developing breast ... as well as some minor hair in

her private areas...

After weeks and weeks and weeks of test ... it was determined her

hair grease we used had growth hormones within it .... Consequently

it was causing her to develop quicker than normal.

We removed the grease ... she quit developing to quickly. She is now

8 and no farther along in the process of development than normal kids

her age.

Growth hormones should not be allowed into any of our foods/beauty

supplies ... but they are there ... and I believe account for a great

many of our children's rapid growth issues.

Melinda

> >

> > The girls who started going through puberty at THREE

> >

> > by NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH -

> > 13th January 2008