Breast Enlargement in Infants (Premature Thelarche)

1 NBreast Enlargement in Infants (Premature Thelarche) nPremature thelarche is a condition in which thebreasts of baby girls begin to enlarge. It is usuallya temporary, harmless condition. Breast enlarge-ment in Infants and young girls is sometimes thefirst sign of early (precocious) puberty, but this is premature thelarche ? premature thelarche is Enlargement of the breasts in infantgirls. Most often, Breast Enlargement is the only is occasionally the first sign of early (precocious) is more likely if the breasts become enlarged after there is no apparent cause of early Breast enlarge-ment, although it can result from exposure to medications orto sources of the hormone estrogen. The breasts may remainenlarged for as long as a few years but eventually go downin size before your daughter starts does it look like?

2 Your daughter s breasts start getting bigger. One or both breasts may be enlarged. They may go upand down in size. Breast Enlargement usually occurs before age 2. Occa-sionally, a baby girl is born with enlarged breasts. There are no other signs of puberty, for example, growthof pubic hair (hair around the genitals) or rapid bodygrowth. Medical tests, if performed, show no other signs ofapproaching puberty. Breasts eventually stop growing and may become reducedin size. It may take a few years before the breasts comp-letely return to normal. Girls go on to have a causes premature thelarche ? Usually, no specific cause is identified. premature Breast Enlargement can be caused by exposureto the hormone estrogen, for example, a child eating themother s birth control are some possiblecomplications of prematurethelarche?

3 Usually none. The condition often goes away on its own,although this may take a few years. Infrequently, premature thelarche is the first sign of early(precocious) puberty. This is most likely when the breastsstart to enlarge after ages 2 to 3, accompanied by othersigns of puberty such as an enlarged clitoris or develop-ment of pubic hair. Treatment may be needed to halt theprocess of early puts your child at riskof premature thelarche ?There are no known risk premature thelarchebe prevented?There is no way to prevent this is premature thelarchetreated? Usually, no treatment is needed. Your daughter s breastswill eventually go down in size or stop enlarging. Your doctor will examine your child for any other signsof puberty. Medical tests are usually not needed. If thedoctor has any reason to suspect an abnormality, varioustests may be performed as well, such as measuring hor-mone levels, x-rays to assess bone growth, or ultrasoundscans of the uterus and ovaries.

4 The doctor will continue to monitor your daughter tomake sure there are no other signs of early puberty. If there is any reason to suspect a medical cause of earlypuberty, we will probably recommend a visit to an endo-crinologist (a doctor specializing in the treatment of glandand hormone diseases). This specialist can perform testsand recommend treatments designed to interrupt theprocess of puberty, if should I call your office?Between visits, call our office if your daughter developsany of the following:Copyright 2007 by Elsevier155 Further Enlargement and development of the breasts. Repeat Enlargement of the breasts after they have gonedown in size. Any other signs of early puberty, such as hair around thegenital area and under the arms or very rapid Enlargement in Infants ( premature Thelarche) Copyright 2007 by Elsevier