After finding blood in her daughter’s diaper and taking her to the emergency room, the mother is surprised by the diagnosis. Understand what the condition is
When Sarah Regan went to change her youngest daughter immediately after getting out of bed in the morning, she had a big scare: little Birdie’s diaper was full of blood. Suspecting a serious kidney infection, the mother immediately rushed to the emergency room, but after subjecting the little girl to several tests, the doctors performed a bone scintigraphy (a test that determines bone development) and concluded that they were already in a state advanced age. The diagnosis – precocious puberty – scared the family, as Sarah, now 38, told the British tabloid The sun🇧🇷 “The damn diaper turned out to be her first period”reported.
The case of the family, who live in Australia, took place in 2020 and since then the little girl has been monitored, subjected to x-rays, ultrasounds and hormonal dosages every six months. “She’s had other bleeding since the first time. She’s not monthly, she’s sporadic, which makes monitoring very difficult, but we’re trying to make sure she doesn’t physically affect her,” as it can affect growth and appearance‘ explained the mother.
Other features of precocious puberty go unnoticed, such as breast development and hair appearance. It is also for this reason that follow-up tests should be performed periodically, so that if any changes related to the diagnosis are noticed, Birdie can be adequately treated. “That’s what we monitor, and if it seems to be happening at any point, we’ll start hormone treatment with hormone injections to delay puberty until he’s old enough to go all the way,” Sarah said.
peripheral puberty
Ludmila Pedrosa, pediatric endocrinologist of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics explains it the most common form of precocious puberty is the so-called “central”🇧🇷 “In her, the pubertal process is similar to a normal puberty, with the appearance of the breast bud, an increase in growth speed and bone maturation, but at an inappropriate age (earlier than expected),” says the specialist who, based on data from Sarah’s story, believes that Birdie’s case is more similar to the so-called “peripheral form” of precocious puberty.
“This is not the most common, but the girl can have genital bleeding (menstruation) without the necessary production of hormones to stimulate the breasts, for example. It can occur due to diseases that lead to the autonomous functioning of the ovaries, the formation of cysts… In any case, a careful investigation for an adequate diagnosis is very importantsince it is a delicate condition”, he points out.
Ludmila emphasizes this any case of precocious puberty should always be followed up by a pediatric endocrinologist or an endocrinologist with experience in child development. “It is important to remember that other hormones often need to be monitored when diagnosing precocious puberty, as some diseases affect other glands. periodic medical follow-up is mandatory to evaluate the evolution of the conditionthe need to combine other drugs and to monitor the effectiveness of the proposed treatment,” he explains.
Pediatrician Paulo Telles points out that, in cases of central precocious puberty, there are hormone injections which can be applied monthly or quarterly (depending on the type of hormone used) to try regress the process, acting as a brake. “That’s why it’s very important to do an evaluation to understand what’s causing this precocious puberty,” she says.
Infant vaginal bleeding
Today Birdie is almost three years old and goes to kindergarten. Therefore, her mother had to inform the professionals of what is happening to her, so that they are prepared, which will have to be repeated throughout the girl’s childhood. “I hate having to explain it every time he gets older. When he starts elementary school, I’ll have to explain it to teachers, but it’s important for people to know. I don’t want them to be complacent, after all, if blood is found on a child’s underwear, this should be investigated“, commented.
According to Paulo Telles, vaginal bleeding in prepubertal girls raises possibilities such as trauma (some injury), genital wart, urethral change, and neoplasm (tumor). “When no lesion is observed, one must think of vulvovaginitis [inflamação da vulva e da vagina]in a foreign body – more common in older children – and in anal bleeding, which can be confusing,” she explains. exogenous estrogens in the mother, present for example in ointments, which can be absorbed by the baby through contact with each other.
Precocious puberty
Lastly, the pediatrician points out that precocious puberty is defined, for girls, by the appearance of pubertal signs before the age of 8 (such as breasts, pubic hair and menstruation) and, for boys, before the age of 9 (pubic hair, increased testicle and penis).
“It is important to consult a pediatrician and a pediatric endocrinologist so that adequate tests can be carried out and even serious possibilities, such as neoplasia, which could generate this type of hormonal stimulus, are excluded. Treatment of the child is essential to have adequate bone growth and metabolic evolution and to enter puberty on schedule.even thinking about the psychological consequences it could have”, he concludes.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
