Early puberty - breast development

[EllasMum]

DD is 7.5 yo and seems to have some breast development going on. I first noticed it about a month ago when she was getting changed into her pyjamas. Her nipples were a bit pink when previously they had been just slightly darker than her regular skin color. Over the last month, the nipples have gotten progressively more pink and now I notice some actual breast buds/tissue forming underneath. She hasn't complained of pain or anything else.

I'm wondering if I should bother taking her in to get this checked out? From the threads here about precocious puberty, this does not seem to be that - just the low end of average... but I still wonder if I should make an appointment for her. She doesn't seem to have any other signs - no body odor, no pubic hair, moods seem stable/normal. She is VERY tall for her age (about 58 inches) but has a slim build and weighs about 60 pounds. I feel bad for her going through this now because she seems to be going through a phase where she is sensitive to the fact that she is so much taller than her classmates (often by as much as 6-8 inches). I would just *hate* if she had something else to make her look and feel different. Sigh.

Um, so this maybe shoulda been a BP! I guess I'm just looking for BTDT or advice, if anyone has any to offer.

TIA.

[pinkmomagain]

I have no firsthand experience with this, but if it were me, I'd bring my dd in to the dr...for peace of mind if nothing else. Also - If something were going on, I'd want to be doing what I could to address it, and if things just needed to be monitored, I'd want to know exactly what I should be on the look out for.

But there seems to mamas who do have some knowledge about this and hopefully they will chime in!

[kristenk]

7.5yo seems pretty young to me, but I'm no expert on the subject. If she were my daughter, I'd take her in to see her pediatrician just to make sure everything's okay.

[Nooknookmom]

I've seen it in one of DD1's friends, around 7.5-8, had pretty developed breasts by 10 and started her period at 10. Friend drank a LOT (I mean like all day) of milk so I always wondered if it was hormone derived. She had very little body fat.

2 of our well-endowed cousins started developing around that age too, the youngest was pretty shy about it and would wear rashguards all the time to cover herself up. One cousin had more body fat than the other.

My oldest was around 9-10 before she started budding.

[mom2binsd]

My DD who is now 9 3/4 was exactly that age when she started breast development, and she was also very skinny etc. She did have a little pain and I thought it must have been a cyst or something....took her into the ped and he examined her and said no mom, it's just early breast development (age 7 is the low end of the normal range to begin development). We saw very slow development after that and it wasn't until last summer that pubic hair made it's entrance (much to grandma's surprise when DD was taking baths after swimming at grandma's house...poor woman almost had a hard attack).

So, I'd say unless you are really worried, I wouldn't necessarily take her in, maybe call the ped first and talk to the nurse.

[klwa]

So, I'd say unless you are really worried, I wouldn't necessarily take her in, maybe call the ped first and talk to the nurse.

That's kind of what I was thinking. Call the ped & find out what they think.

[longtallsally05]

DD is 7.5 yo and seems to have some breast development going on. I first noticed it about a month ago when she was getting changed into her pyjamas. Her nipples were a bit pink when previously they had been just slightly darker than her regular skin color. Over the last month, the nipples have gotten progressively more pink and now I notice some actual breast buds/tissue forming underneath. She hasn't complained of pain or anything else.

I'm wondering if I should bother taking her in to get this checked out? From the threads here about precocious puberty, this does not seem to be that - just the low end of average... but I still wonder if I should make an appointment for her. She doesn't seem to have any other signs - no body odor, no pubic hair, moods seem stable/normal. She is VERY tall for her age (about 58 inches) but has a slim build and weighs about 60 pounds. I feel bad for her going through this now because she seems to be going through a phase where she is sensitive to the fact that she is so much taller than her classmates (often by as much as 6-8 inches). I would just *hate* if she had something else to make her look and feel different. Sigh.

Um, so this maybe shoulda been a BP! I guess I'm just looking for BTDT or advice, if anyone has any to offer.

TIA.

Wow, I haven't been on the BBB for a while, but I'm glad I logged in tonight!

Please take your child to see a pediatric endocrinologist. It can't hurt anything to have her evaluated and wishful thinking only limits your options. Precocious puberty is diagnosed in girls when the normal puberty process BEGINS prior to age 8. The child doesn't have to have pubic hair or experience the onset of menarche to be experiencing precocious puberty. You may or may not choose to medicate your child to delay the further progression of the puberty process, but it would be good to have your child evaluated by the proper healthcare professional so that you to be in possession of all the information in order to make an informed decision. In addition to the social and psychological impact of experiencing puberty much earlier than her peers, if left untreated, precocious puberty can result in a girl NOT reaching her full adult height potential. Girls generally stop growing in height a couple of years after the onset of menarche, so a girl with precocious puberty may be taller than her peers at age 7, but end up being short as an adult.

I am sending you a PM so I can share my DD's story without getting too detailed here.

Best wishes!

[mom2binsd]

After reading the last post I have to say I'm now doubting what I researched and was told when my DD was 7.5....and there's nothing I can do about it now and there's a high likelihood that there wasn't anything to be done.

I did a lot of reading and was assured that between the ages of 7-8 if breast buds appeared that it was within the normal range, at the low end of normal but still within the range. DD seemed to have very very slow development and it wasn't until after she turned 9 that I observed development of pubic hair and a little more breast tissue (until then it was just minor breast budding). I have also observed very similar development in a few of DD's same age peers.

I know longtallsally has had extensive experience with this with her DD so I would definitely follow up given her suggestions.

[essnce629]

Do you know why DD is 6-8 inches taller than her peers? Has she always been off the charts for height? My worry would be that her growth in height is related to the precocious puberty. Maybe a pituitary issue? I'd probably take her in to get blood tests on all her hormone levels, etc. If it was only one issue-- just her height or the breast buds, I probably wouldn't be as concerned.

[calv]

Wow to the timing of this! Last night dd said that her right breast hurt. As she was cleaning up in the shower, she notices this. She has a lump on the right side and we freaked out a bit. Thinking of taking her to the pedi today.