Special Needs Adoptive Parenting – Latent or Delayed Puberty

Submitted by JuliaFuller on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 19:53

A girl should show signs of puberty between seven and 13, a boy by 14 years of age. Doctors will not typically intervene medically unless a child is clearly outside of these normal developmental age ranges. The primary cause of delayed puberty does not usually require treatment. This is when a child is a late bloomer, called a constitutional delay. These teens will enter puberty in the regular way. Of course, entering puberty later than most of your peers can cause considerable embarrassment to a teen. There are several other possible causes for latent or delayed Puberty to consider.

Is there a chance that your child is dealing with anorexia? Is your child playing sports year round and a very athletic build? Both of these can cause delays in the onset of puberty in girls because a girl’s body needs a certain amount of fat to cause puberty and begin menstruating. Chronic illnesses can cause delays in puberty such as cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, renal disorders, diabetes, and asthma because these conditions make it more difficult for their bodies to develop and grow.

Less common causes for latent or delayed puberty include problems with the pituitary or thyroid glands such as CNS disorders that include pituitary tumors. The pituitary and thyroid glands are responsible for producing the hormones needed for growth and development. Chromosomal abnormalities can also affect the onset of puberty. Examples are Klinefelter syndrome that affects only males who are born with an extra X chromosome XXY instead of XY. The female version of the syndrome is Turner syndrome. In addition, mutations of PROP1 gene may result in several missing pituitary hormones.

Are there any specific indicators to look for if parent suspects that their child is delayed in puberty? Consider the following signs in a daughter. If by the age of 13, she still has no breast development. Five years or more pass between her breast development and the start of menstruation. By the age of 14, she has no pubic hair, or she fails to have her first menses by age 16. Consider the following signs in your son. His testicles fail to begin to enlarge by age 14, or it takes more than five years to complete enlargement. Pubic hair does not grow by 15 years old. .

If your child has reached these ages without achieving these milestones there are numerous tests a doctor might perform depending on the suspected cause. There are blood test to detect chromosome abnormalities, measure hormone levels, and check for diabetes, and anemia. X-rays or CT scans may be used to determine bone maturity. This tells doctors if the child’s skeleton is physically maturing which may hint to other hormone deficiencies. An MRI may be used to see if organs and structures are as they should be.

Treatment for latent or delayed puberty may involve hormone replacement therapy to bring on the development of secondary sexual characteristics. Other possibilities include surgery to correct anatomical problems. Infertility, sexual ambiguity, and recurrent pregnancy loss are possible. .