Kindly explain the growth cycle of a female child.

Question

Hi doctor,

My daughter is 9 years old. She had body odor in the armpit. I was alarmed because it smelled like an adult body odor. She had sweating. A few days ago, she told about her nipple that one nipple looks normal and the other one looks hard. I want to know whether she has reached the puberty stage. I have another daughter. She is 13 years old. She does not have these problems when compared to my younger one.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It is normal to have these findings now because a few kids have it. Normal growth cycle follows these ways. The first one is thelarche. In this, there is a development of the breast. The second one is pubarche. In this, there is a development of pubic hair. Then the next one is menarche. In this one, there is an onset of menses.

In between thelarche and pubarche, there is a growth spurt. So all these occur gradually. It is normal for your child to have this development. You can consult a doctor when there are secondary sexual characters like breast development and growth of pubic hair before eight years of age in a female child.