What is considered delayed puberty?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Minh Tuan - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital
More and more children are experiencing delayed puberty. Delayed puberty in children should be concerned because it can be caused by diseases related to sex chromosomes, abnormal development of glands in the body.

1. What is called delayed puberty?

Puberty marks the beginning of a child's body to fully develop and usually begins between the ages of 7 and 13 for girls and between the ages of 9 and 15 for boys. At this time, under the influence of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, the baby's gonads begin to increase the production of sex hormones (testosterone in boys and estrogen in girls) that affect the child's sex characteristics. , such as breasts and ovaries in girls, and muscles and testicles in boys begin to develop.
Delayed puberty (also known as delayed puberty) is a condition in which puberty does not begin at the usual time. When girls over 13-14 years old and boys over 15-16 years old have not yet shown signs of puberty, it is considered delayed puberty.

2. Signs and symptoms of delayed puberty

In girls, delayed puberty is manifested by breast failure around the age of 13, the menstrual cycle does not start around the age of 16.
In boys, delayed puberty is manifested by signs such as undescended testicles. grow larger around the age of 14, or gonadal growth is delayed for more than 5 years.

3. Causes of delayed puberty (delayed puberty)

Improper nutrition Due to chronic illness Girls who have to do intense physical exercise regularly, such as athletics or gymnastics, often start puberty later than normal children. Hypogonadism: The gonads in children (testes in men and ovaries in women) produce little or no hormone. Hypogonadism is divided into two categories: primary hypogonadism (also called central hypogonadism or hypogonadism due to hypogonadism). It occurs when there is a problem with the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in the brain. Causes include genetic disorders, especially Turner syndrome (in females) and Klinefelter syndrome (in males); certain autoimmune disorders; certain developmental disorders; radiation or chemotherapy; infection; surgery. Secondary hypogonadism: Causes include Kaliman syndrome, radiation therapy, trauma, surgery to the brain or pituitary gland, and tumors in the brain or pituitary gland.

4. What factors increase the risk of delayed puberty (delayed puberty)?

Genetic factors; Having chronic diseases; Malnutrition, possibly from eating disorders or chronic diseases; Excessive exercise, e.g. professional athletes; Tumors or injuries affecting the glands; Hormone-related syndromes; Genetic diseases that affect sexual development.

5. What methods are used to treat delayed puberty (delayed puberty)?

Usually, doctors will use short-term hormone therapies to treat:
In boys, the doctor will add testosterone hormone by direct injection or using patches and gels. In girls, the doctor will supplement the hormone estrogen or progesterone with an oral pill or a topical gel.

6. What techniques are used to diagnose delayed puberty (delayed puberty)?

Family history: Helps doctors find causes such as abnormal eating habits (bulging, anorexia nervosa) and excessive exercise (marathon runners, gymnasts) may lead to delayed puberty; Blood test: Performed to measure hormone levels in the blood; Chromosome analysis: A chromosome analysis will be performed to rule out rare disorders; X-ray: To check if the child's bone age is growing more slowly than usual; Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to check for tumors of the pituitary gland; Ultrasound to check that the ovaries and uterus are developing normally. Pediatrics Clinic - Vinmec Times City International Hospital currently offers specialized services for pediatric endocrinology, including late puberty/early puberty.
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