Question Regarding Hormones

this is called precocious puberty. have her checked for McCune-Albright disease. it could be anumber of things but McCune also affects many other things like bone an muscle growth. prcocious pubery is treated with estrogen inhibitors. it is usually a shot every other week or so . this is usually inherited but can also be a symptom of something wrong with the pituitary gland. the hoemones in milk and egss do have somethign to do with it and if she is showing sings already it may be too late but all that is just theory right now. the best thing is to have her checked by a specialist not jsut your pediatrician. pediatricians see a lot of different things and sometimes they dont check for everythign. get a referral to an endocrinologist or someone who sees patients with precocious puberty. early puberty can affect her for the rest of her life notjust physically but emotinally. girls with precoious puberty are usually chunky , at least all of the ones ive seen.

A friend of mine's daughter started her period at 10. Their doctor said he was seeing more and more of this and he said the studies done on the large amounts growth hormones in chicken, eggs, and milk were a strong cause of the early puberty cases that are becoming more common. I hope your doctor has some answers, let me know what you find out.

I understand your concern, but it will be alright. My daughter is 7 and I started noticing breast growing on her around age 5 1/2. My daughter was really skinny until that age and although she is not fat, she is chunkier( and taller) than most other girls in her grade. She is 4 ft 1, and is wearing sizes 12/14 girls in pants, and size 16 girls in shirts( because of her chest).
I also developed early.I was thicker than most other girls. I was wearing a full size bra ( b cup) by the time I was in the 3rd grade, and before the 3rd grade ended, I had started my period. I was only 8 yrs old! And I was not alone! Right before I started my period a new girl had started at my school in my class, and she had already started her period and was wearing a bra also! Just knowing that I was not the only one made all the difference.
That girl was thicker and a little more developed also. Me and my child are very active, and my daughter has normal eating habits as well. Your daughter may just be experiencing her growth spurts earlier.
I took my daughter to her pediatrition also with concern because her growth happend so rappidly, (she went from a size 7/8 girls to a 10/12 girls in 2 months), and he found absolutely nothing for me to be concerned about. Not even her weight, which went from 64lbs to 79lbs in those same 2 months. As a matter of fact he said she was perfectly healthy, blood pressure wise and all.
I would check your family tree on both sides to see if some of the girls in your family were thicker as well. Genetics plays a huge role. My mother and father were skinny, as well as my older sister( who did not start her period until her teens). All my mother's brothers werer skinny as well, as well as her mother and father. However, my mothers grandmother was a thick woman, and so are some of my aunts on my fathers side. I would also check your diet. Switch to low-fat, or non-fat milk, or try soy milk. Also fruits and vegetables always work. Eat lean meats like chicken, fish turkey,, you can make anything out of ground turkey or chicken. But don't make it a big deal. Because your daughter is going to start to feel like there is something wrong with her, when there is not. Just let her know that her body is still changing and as long as you are eating right and exercising, being a little thick is alright! Start to educate her on puberty now so that when it happens, her period will not scare her. Teach her to love her body no matter what her size, and she will grow up with all the confidence and self-esteem that she deserves to have!

Your daughter is most likely just one of those young girls that starts puberty at a younger age. I am 48 and started growing breasts around 9 myself...however my period didn't start until jr high by which time I definately had a figure! If you don't make a big deal of it, she will accept it as a normal part of life...which it is! Some girls just start at ages as young as 8! This is nothing new and has been happening since biblical times! My own girls started wearing bra's in 4th grade themselves and are now well adjusted...one a new mother herself and the other a high school freshman! Watching your diet is always a good idea...but most likely with your daughter is her genes and not her diet! Let the doctor take the tests but don't agonize over it...be happy with your daughter for who and what she is! Be glad she is active, encourage her to remain active! Encourage her to grow up proud of who she is...no matter what her size, or what she looks like! There are too many other stressors in life to worry about, what size bra she wears is not worth the worry!

Dear A.,

I think you are right that the hormones in the milk and the MEAT are getting into your daughters diet. When my daughter who was thin...started to show signs around 9 years I researched this area. I do believe extra weight contributes to early breast development ( I have taught elementary kids and noticed this often) but milk and meat that are not hormone free and antibiotic free contribute to this problem.

As far as her weight issue it might be the quality and sugar content of the foods she is eating and not necessarily the quanity. Most yoghurts and so called "healthy foods" are packed with sugar ( 4 grams is = 1 Tsp.) Read labels and stay away from juices and high fructose drinks...(no soda) and focus on fresh fruits and vegetables as a good a large part of her diet. Check out the website www.madjuicer.com
She is a resource on mamasource.

K. B

RBST is a hormone that is NATURALLY in a cow while she has milk. In the past years dairy farmers have been injecting heifers with extra RBST to up the milk production in cows. More dairys have been working away from using EXTRA RBST. NO milk is RBST free!!! With out RBST a heifer would not be able to produce milk.

I grew up on FRESH milk. The kind that you have to skim before you can drink it. YUM!! I was one of the last girls in my grade to start. Maybe it is not the kind of milk (RBST "free" vs "regular"), maybe it is how much milk you are drinking.

I was told by my DR. that soy can slow down your metabolism. Just a little something to think about!

Hi,
I have heard that the hormones in dairy products, and meat these days are causing early puberty in girls. Also, there are some plastics, like plastic water bottles, that leach homorne-like substances. I would feed her organic hormone free dairy and meat and filter tap water instead of bottle water. Just an idea, hope this helps. Good luck, M.

I agree that you need to look into ridding your house of toxic chemicals. There have never been more chemicals in our personal care and cleaning products (even cosmetics) than there are today and the government is not testing them. I shop with Melaleuca and get non-toxic products that actually cost me less per use than the store brands. My kids are doing great.

I would also get a referral from your pediatrician and go see an endocrinologist. That is the doctor that will be able to answer all your questions because they are the "hormone doctor." I am surprised no one here suggested that to you.

J.
____@____.com
www.livetotalwellness.com/janislanz

There are some studies that suggest the overuse of soy products(unfermented) and the estrogens in these have led to earlier puberty in girls, there are also the concerns of phalates in plastics, obesity raises estrogens, somehow the fat makes estogen, plus all the hormones in the food supply, natural and created. There is a ton of discussion of this on the internet.

My daughter is 9 and I noticed "breasts" last year. She also has really stinky pits. My nieces all started puberty early (they are now 16). I think it is something in the foods, not just milk. She has drank Silk for about two years now.. I'd love to hear how your pediatrician guides you! I'm sure they've seen this!

I strongly believe that children starting puberty early is the result of hormones in milk, cheese and meat and it makes me very angry that the FDA allows this in our food to poison our children. I shop exclusively at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. I'd suggest you do the same. Maybe it will help slow down your daughters puberty. I Wish you and your family all the best.

I would also ask about poly cystic ovarian syndrome. It is a hormonal disease that effects women. I went through puberty very early by the time I was 14 I had c cups. had been having my period for years. It was not I was 23 that i learned I had pcos. Girls with this usually are bigger then normal because our bodies don't process sugars properly. If she has this they can control it with meds.

There are also a lot of chemicals in the products we use that act as endocrine disruptors. The endocrine system is made up of glands, which secrete hormones, and receptors which detect and react to the hormones. Some chemicals mimic hormones.Other endocrine disruptors block the effects of a hormone from certain receptors by blocking the receptors on a cell. Still others directly stimulate or inhibit the endocrine system and cause overproduction or underproduction of hormones.

Many people are not aware of the potential consequences of using chemical based products. Our bodies are one big "test tube". We have many chemical processes going on within our body and when we intorduce more chemicals to the process it can and does alter the way things happen in our bodies.

Hundreds and even thousands of people are becoming more aware of this and are switching to the "green products" without all the caustic and potentially harmful checmicals. I switched my home over about 6 years ago before it was such a big deal as it is now. My kids, who had allergies and asthma, have benefitted greatly. Their allergies subsided and they went off all thier asthma medications and inhalers. What a relief!

Anyway, that's my two cents worth. I even found a place to buy it all at wholesale. I pay less now than what I used to on the toxic store brands.

You can find more information at www.GreenKidzRUs.com

Hi A.,
My name is L. and I am a mom, Cert. Health Coach and Cert. Pilates Instructor. I am responding to let you know that I have heard of this problem with younger girls. You are right on track in your thinking in regards to the milk issue and also if your daughter consumes alot of animal protein ie... meat, chk, pork and dairy products. Unless you are able to buy organic or free range the chances of the levels of hormones, steroids and antibiotics in these products can be extremely high and a contributing factor to your daughter's situation. The good news is that there are SIMPLE dietary changes that can help this problem. For example... minimize your child's consumption of the above mentioned products and add more fruits and veggies to her diet to help cleanse her body and increase her nutritional status.
There is also a great book "The China Study", by Dr. T Colin Campbell that talks about this topic and the scientific research to back it up.
My "passion and purpose" in life is to help educate others about SIMPLE ways to get healthy. I was lead in this direction by my son's, age 6, health crisis and have been able to help him through diet. If you would like more info email back and we can talk more! L.

I know that there has been a lot of debate lately about the hormomones that are being added to the foods that we eat, but I think that some girls just go through puberty really early naturally. I got boobs when I was 9 and started my period when I was 10 (I'm now 23). I read about these certain doctors the other day (I think they are called endocrinologists), and myabe you can ask your daughter's pediatrician about them. They specialize in how hormones work in the body, and they can tell you if your daughter is going through puberty already or if it just a hormone imbalance and how to fix it. My parents didn't know about those kinds of doctors when I was growing up, so I just had to suffer with going through puberty before all of my friends. By the time I was in 5th grade, I was already a C cup, and all of the kids at school made fun of me. They called me "Tissue Queen" because they all thought that I stuffed my bra. So more than the physical problems that early puberty causes, it can also cause emotional problems. I would go home crying every night because I was being teased about something that I couldn't change. So when you go to the pediatrician, see if they can give you a referral to a specialist for your daughter's sake, before it becomes embarrassing for her.