3-Year-Old Girl With Full Grown Breasts
Category: Health & Physical Fitness
Though early puberty starts in most girls at the age of eight but this extraordinary case we gathered is of a 3 year old girl from a village in Benue State of Nigeria. From what you can see in the picture, the infant has developed a full blown breasts like that of a matured woman.
ACKCITY's Echoes conducted a research on what can be the cause of full grown breasts in infants and toddlers.
According to Pediatrics Expert, Shari Nethersole; breast development in infants is not
uncommon and it does not mean that puberty is occurring
early (precocious puberty). When a small amount of breast development
occurs without the rest of puberty progressing, it is called premature
thelarche (Thelarche is the medical term for the onset of breast
development). This typically happens in toddlers, usually by age two,
though it can occur in preschool-aged children as well. It can occur on
just one or both sides.
The cause is not entirely clear but in
some girls there seems to be a slight increase in estrogen production
for a short period of time. The estrogen is what causes the breast to
sprout. In the vast majority of girls who have this, the breast bud will
shrink down again over a period of several months, or if it doesn't
become smaller, at least it won't continue to enlarge. The other
pubertal changes (rapid growth, pubic hair) do not occur.
"When I
see girls with premature thelarche, I make sure I do a thorough
physical examination, looking for anything that would suggest a more
serious hormonal problem." Dr. Shari explains further.
According to her, "If the rest of the exam is normal, then there
is no need for any specific tests. It is recommended that the breast
changes be monitored closely for several months, meaning monthly or
bimonthly visits to the doctor to see if it goes away or continues to
progress. If there are abnormalities on the physical exam, or if the
breast development continues, then blood tests, x-rays, or an ultrasound
of the pelvis may be indicated. Precocious puberty can occur in this
age group, but it is very rare".
She further advised that the girl in question be taken to a physician for proper examination. She said in some children, particularly very chubby children, it may look as though
there are breasts, but it turns out to be just excess fat. Your
physician should be able to sort this out and determine if anything
further needs to be done"
Another doctor, Shanna Cox explains further, that,sometimes, toddlers may have breast development due to different etiologies.
According to her, they may
simply have fat tissue that appears like breasts. "A pediatrician may
distinguish this difference by palpation, and the presence or absence of
a breast bud", she said.
"If there is a bud that is appreciated, the toddler likely has a
condition known as benign thelarche. Benign thelarche is more common in
females, and is related to an increased circulating estrogen level. It
occurs most often in toddlers under the age of three. It may grow in
proportion with the toddler for approximately six months prior to
receding. Alternatively, the breast tissue may remain unchanged into
puberty. In either of these cases, this early change should not signal
an early onset of puberty or an abnormal growth of the mature breast."
"The exception to these situations is when the breast development is
rapidly changing, or is associated with other signs of puberty. If an
infant or toddler also presents with the development of odor and/or
axillary or pubic hair, or growth in genitalia, an underlying over
production of hormones must be considered. This may occur in disorders
of the thyroid, brain, or reproductive organs. In this case, a
pediatrician would involve the help of an endocrinology specialist to
fully investigate the nature of these premature manifestations.
Evaluation typically might include looking at blood work and
radiological study.
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