In the first days after birth, serious processes occur in the body of newborn babies. They adapt to life outside their mother’s womb and undergo changes, including in hormonal levels, which result in signs of a sexual crisis.
One of its manifestations is swelling mammary glands, which can occur in both girls and boys. In addition, children's skin color may change and pimples may appear. white, spots, which causes parental concern, sometimes leading to unjustified actions and treatment of what does not need to be treated.
What is a sexual crisis?
Sexual crisis in newborn babies is the typical physiological state of a child, which characterizes its adaptive capabilities for life after it leaves the mother’s womb. During pregnancy, female sex hormones and estrogens enter the child's body through the placenta, which enable the pregnancy to continue and the child to develop. After the baby is born, the baby's estrogen levels drop sharply, this process occurs during the first three to four weeks. At birth there is a lot of estrogen in the child’s body, but their amount decreases very sharply and quickly, this contributes to changes in the level of other hormones. As a result, a hormonal explosion is formed in the baby’s body - a kind of “transitional age” in miniature. The main reason for changes in the mammary gland is hormonal changes.
Changes in the mammary gland gradually increase and then gradually disappear without any therapy within two to four weeks. On average, up to 70 babies out of a hundred experience changes in the breast and engorgement. Mostly engorgement occurs in girls, and approximately every second boy.
Signs of engorgement and pubertal crisis appear in full-term children, but premature and delayed children intrauterine development or immature children are less likely to show signs of sexual crisis. Sometimes doctors believe that missing signs of a sexual crisis are more likely a pathology than a normal phenomenon.
Basically, the sexual crisis manifests itself in healthy children who adapt well to extrauterine life, and whose gestation proceeded without any abnormalities or pathologies. In addition, it is believed that the sexual crisis fulfills important function in the development of the hypothalamus and the formation of sexual differentiation. It has been noted that children with a fairly pronounced pubertal crisis very rarely exhibit physiological jaundice of the newborn. So, a sexual crisis is a normal physiological reaction of the child’s body to parting with the sex hormones of the mother’s body. It does not require any treatment, therapy or special actions. It is only important to care for the child as required by the rules.
Signs of a sexual crisis in a newborn can be considered:
- enlargement, engorgement (swelling) in the area of the mammary glands,
- mucus or bloody discharge from the vagina,
- milia rash on the face.
Features of breast swelling
Physiological mastopathy or engorgement of the mammary glands is the physiological condition of a child’s breasts, in which they increase in size. Usually the mammary glands are enlarged evenly, occasionally unilateral increase. An increase of up to 3 cm in diameter is considered normal if there is no redness or changes under the skin or on its surface.
Sometimes grayish or milky-white contents may be released from the mammary gland ducts; its composition is comparable to that of colostrum.
Typically, breasts begin to enlarge on the second day after birth, and gradually decrease from the end of the first week, but they completely disappear by the month. Such mastopathy does not require any treatment; you should not press the breasts, trying to remove milk from them, apply compresses with ointments, especially like Vishnevsky ointment, camphor and others, which is widely recommended on the Internet.
Swollen breasts do not cause any discomfort to the child, they are not treated in any special way, only with strong magnification can a clean, dry and sterile bandage be applied. It is necessary to protect the breasts from friction with clothing.
However, many parents are worried about breast enlargement and begin using bandages, squeezing out milk, secretions and fiddling with the swollen breasts, unwittingly introducing microbes into the cracks of the papillae. They penetrate deep into the chest and cause development severe complication- mastitis of newborns. If its onset is neglected, the course of the disease can be severe, even fatal. How to distinguish the onset of mastitis from physiology?
Neonatal mastitis
Mastitis is called acute or has progressed to chronic inflammation mammary gland. It is usually customary to talk about mastitis in a woman who is breastfeeding, but children also have mastitis, especially in the neonatal period, when the baby experiences a sexual crisis with swelling of the glands and parents try to “treat” this crisis with various warm-ups, ointments, tinctures and squeezing out milk from pieces of iron. Usually, all these attempts lead the child and his parents to the surgeon, at best for an appointment, at worst - on the operating table with a purulent abscess.
Mastitis can also develop due to defects in care, when prickly heat with pustules appears on the skin, the baby is rarely washed or his immunity is reduced and the infection penetrates through the nipple area when they are injured.
Manifestations of mastitis in infants
Mastitis usually begins to appear in the first weeks of a child’s life, affecting both boys and girls equally. Usually in the second or third weeks, this coincides with the moment of engorgement, or rather the beginning of its subsidence. But with mastitis, instead of reducing the manifestations, they grow very rapidly and turn into a purulent process, which is often one-sided.
The main manifestations of mastitis include symptoms of intoxication with changes in the size of the gland and its soreness.
Intoxication will manifest itself as an increase in temperature, from low to very high numbers and convulsions against the background of fever, the child will be lethargic or lethargic, restless, and tearful. His appetite sharply decreases, he has trouble taking the breast or bottle, and refuses to eat. Sleep and the functioning of the digestive system may be disrupted, regurgitation, vomiting or diarrhea may occur. At the beginning of the disease, the mammary gland is practically unchanged, but as it progresses, redness of the skin appears, it increases in size, thickens and becomes very painful and hot. Progression of the process leads to suppuration in the area pathological process, there may be movement of fluid under the skin in the abscess area, severely disturbed general state. If the problem is not treated in time and the pus is not removed, the chest may be affected and phlegmon and even sepsis may appear.
In girls, purulent mastitis is very unfavorable; part of the gland may die, some of the ducts of the gland may become obstructed (clogged), which will negatively affect lactation in the future. At improper treatment or its absence, the disease transitions into chronic form, the formation of extensive foci of pus may occur with their opening to the outside.
How is this type of mastitis treated?
If you suspect purulent mastitis in a child, you should immediately contact a pediatric surgeon or a clinic surgeon. Neonatal mastitis is treated exclusively in a hospital. First of all, doctors will take cultures of the discharge to determine the sensitivity of the microbe to antibiotics. Then it will be possible to choose an active and well-helping remedy. Treatment is as follows:
- at the infiltration stage, when there is no pus, compresses, antibiotics and agents that prevent inflammation are used.
- during the purulent phase, it is necessary to open and remove the pus while carefully preserving the gland tissue. An incision is made under anesthesia near the nipple circle, then absorbable and special bandages are prescribed. Prescription of antibiotics and physical therapy is mandatory.
Mastitis is a serious matter. It can be avoided if, when breast engorgement occurs in a newborn, you do not use “ grandmother's advice"and traditional medicine. Just don't touch the gland area and you won't get any complications.
Induration of the mammary glands can occur in both girls and boys, but you should not be alarmed. The reason for this “behavior” of the body lies in hormones: before childbirth, the level of female sex hormones increases, and the child in the mother’s womb simply cannot “bypass” them, because the “placenta-fetus” system controls the transition of hormones from mother to child . This condition is called a hormonal crisis or a transient state, that is, a physiological state of the newborn period.
What might this look like? You can answer this question yourself by carefully examining the baby: on the third or fourth day after birth, the newborn’s breasts become slightly swollen and dense. This condition increases until the 8th–10th day after birth, after which the process should begin to decline. In some babies, the breast lump is insignificant (about the size of a pea), while in others it is very noticeable (the size of quail egg and even more).
If you touch the breast, the baby will react to this action absolutely calmly, because this condition does not cause him pain. The general condition of the baby does not suffer: if visible reasons there is no malaise, then your baby will feel good; appetite and sleep are also not subject to this physiological process. If a liquid is released from the nipple that looks like colostrum, do not worry - this is a physiological secretion. Carry out a visual inspection: breast swelling should be symmetrical.
When to see a doctor?
However, young parents should understand that normal physiological breast compaction does not at all negate the possibility that the child will develop other conditions, called “deviation.” If this condition appears at a later age or appears repeatedly, this should alert parents. To exclude all kinds of mastitis, cysts and neoplasms in the breast, especially in girls (namely female“get” these anomalies), it is better to show the baby to a neonatologist and pediatric gynecologist-endocrinologist. Only a doctor will be able to assess the child’s condition and, if the situation requires it, prescribe studies of the level of hubbub: if the breasts become dense, most likely, your baby will be prescribed an analysis to determine the level of estradiol, prolactin, progesterone - the so-called female sex hormones of the estrogen series.
Another possible reason for the appearance of such changes is disease thyroid glands s at the mother's. In this case, in order to avoid early puberty, it is necessary to contact an endocrinologist and neurologist, who will prescribe the necessary research, make a diagnosis and determine a course of treatment.
Treatment for swollen breasts
If the child behaves as usual, nothing bothers him and the lump does not exceed the size of a pea, then there is no need to treat this condition. Attempts to squeeze out the secretion will only lead to infection, and alcohol compresses, however, like any others, can only cause poisoning of an immature organism. In order for the physiological phenomenon to pass as quickly as possible, keep an eye on the baby’s clothes: they should only be made of natural, “breathable” fabrics, and chafing of the skin should not occur (both in the area of swelling and in other equally delicate places).
If you understand that other symptoms indicating inflammation have been added to the lump: the breast turns red, with light pressure the child experiences discomfort and pain, the baby’s general condition has become worse - this may indicate neonatal mastitis and requires urgent contact with a pediatrician.
In order not to be frightened by “newborn oddities”, study medical literature dedicated to children's health issues - this way you will be one hundred percent savvy and will be able to understand when to contact a specialist and when not. Although in the case of a baby in your arms, it is better to be safe than sorry. Health to you and your children!
Marina Romanova
Consultant: Elmira Eldarovna Alieva, pediatrician
Magazine "40 weeks. Pregnancy calendar" No. 2 (57) February 2013
In most cases, breast lumps in children are caused by reversible hormonal changes. However, if such seals are identified, it is necessary to conduct an examination, since the causes of the changes may be more serious.
Last consultation
Anna asks:
Hello! Today my daughter said that she has right breast lump (daughter is 11 years old), there is no pain on palpation. Tell me, what could it be? Should I worry?
Answers:
Good afternoon, with a high degree of probability there is nothing wrong with this. But since we do not have the opportunity to examine your child, it would be good to see a surgeon for an examination.
Alesya asks:
For what reason can a newborn girl have a lump in her breast?
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon, Alesya!
A lump in the chest of a newborn girl may be a manifestation of the mother’s high estrogen levels during pregnancy, which is naturally transmitted to the baby. However, even a complete understanding of the physiological nature of the situation does not negate the possibility of other, more serious conditions associated, first of all, with the presence of cysts and neoplasms, because These processes are equally relevant for both adult women and little girls. Therefore, a consultation and examination is necessary not only by a neonatologist, but also by a pediatric gynecologist-endocrinologist.
For a comprehensive assessment of the child’s condition, it will probably be necessary to study the hormonal profile (level of estrogen hormones - estradiol, prolactin, progesterone).
When analyzing the characteristics of pregnancy in the mother and the intrauterine development of the fetus, and then directly during the birth of the child, it is important not to miss possible indications of damage from the central nervous system– disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary region can serve as quite tangible structural, and not functional reasons phenomena of compaction in the chest.
In such cases, diagnosis and treatment by a pediatric neurologist is necessary in order to prevent or eliminate the prerequisites for premature sexual development.
Take care of your health!
Lena asks:
My 15 year old daughter was diagnosed with lump in the chest– fibroadenoma 0.5 cm. Insist on surgical removal. Is it dangerous to remove it at this age? what will happen if you don’t operate? Can it increase, and can the disorders be treated? menstrual cycle a 15-year-old girl with hormones if she is diagnosed with fibroadenoma. Will it grow due to hormonal medications?
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
good day, Elena! Lump in the chest, diagnosed as fibroadenoma, is a neoplasm benign in nature, originating from connective tissue structures.
The mammary glands are a component reproductive system female body, and any non-physiological processes in them are always associated with certain changes in the profile of hormones that regulate the activity of this area.
The benign nature of the process suggests bolder positive prognoses, but we should not forget that any traumatic influences, infection, etc. can serve as a factor initiating a “failure” of the genetic program of the cells of a given formation (lumps in the breast) and the onset of malignant changes. Therefore, a wait-and-see attitude in such cases clearly cannot be acceptable.
But still therapeutic tactics determined only by a specialist (pediatric gynecologist, mammologist) who observes the girl.
This applies both to conservative treatment (correctly selected therapy with the necessary doses of hormonal drugs can modulate the hormonal profile of the body in the right direction), and surgical tactics with compaction in the chest - fibroadenoma.
Be healthy!
Irina asks:
Hello. During an examination at school, my daughter was told that she had a lump in her left breast. They didn’t say anything for sure. Tell me, what could it be? what treatment? what concerns?
I will be grateful for your answer
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon. Lumps in the chest may occur as a result of various factors. Considering the girl's age, one might suspect hormonal cause changes, since during puberty the hormonal background is just being formed and can lead to changes in the structure of the mammary gland. It should also not be ruled out traumatic injury chest, for this it is necessary to find out from the child whether there was an injury, perhaps even minor from the child’s point of view. Also, the cause of lumps can be infectious, inflammatory changes in the breast, as well as various tumor formations. For a more accurate answer to the question, it is necessary to examine the breasts by a gynecologist, and, if possible, by a mammologist or surgeon; if necessary, additional examination will be required - ultrasound of the mammary glands, general analysis blood, examination hormonal levels. More details about possible reasons ah, lumps in the chest can be found on our portal: . All the best.
Karina asks:
Daughter is 1 year old. Today I discovered a pea-sized lump in my chest on one side, what is it and what should I do?
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon, Karina!
Lump in the chest in children early age, especially before one year, may be the result of growth stimulation glandular tissue mammary glands under the influence of the hormonal background of a mother who is breastfeeding her baby.
As a rule, in such cases there is an increase in the level of prolactin, which causes “engorgement” of the mammary glands in the child.
It is believed that such conditions resolve spontaneously by the age of 2 years. However, given that this is only one possible cause of such manifestations (thickness in the chest), you should definitely contact a face-to-face appointment with pediatric endocrinologist. This is due to the need to assess the child’s condition as a whole, as well as exclude more serious endocrine disorders.
From a set of paraclinical studies in such a situation, it may be recommended ultrasound diagnostics mammary glands, adrenal glands, ovaries, thyroid glands, laboratory test hormonal profile. Consultation may be necessary pediatric gynecologist / pediatric surgeon to exclude cysts, tumor processes, manifestations of which are also lumps in the chest.
Be healthy!
Rita asks:
I am 15 years old. Became in Lately notice that if you press on the right breast from the side, pain appears. What could it be? The left one does not hurt, there are no lumps in the chest. They scared me with stories about cancer. What should I do!
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon, Rita!
Physiological hormonal changes during puberty are most often the main causes of certain uncomfortable conditions in teenage girls (for example, soreness of the mammary glands, often bilateral, which may most likely be associated with cyclical hormonal changes V female body).
Reason painful sensations In the mammary glands there may be a disease that is also based on a hormonal imbalance in the body, but is already acquiring morphological (structural) outlines - this is mastopathy. Initial phase of this disease accompanied by severe cyclical pain, sensitivity and lumps in the breasts (a week before the start of a new menstrual cycle).
Therefore, in any case, it would be correct to consult a pediatric gynecologist / mammologist, because only a specialist at a face-to-face appointment will be able to adequately assess your condition and, if necessary, prescribe the necessary laboratory and instrumental studies (ultrasound of the mammary glands, hormonal profile studies).
Take care of your health!
Olga asks:
My child has had gynecomastia in one breast for four years now. In 2010, the doctor prescribed us Enerliv and Aevit, but we read about this drug and were afraid to take it. This year we went back to the hospital and ended up with the same doctor. She prescribed us Enerliv and vitamins B6 and B12 again. What should we do? The fact is that it is difficult to persuade a child to go to the hospital. Besides, he is a student.
Answers Rumyantseva Tatyana Stepanovna:
Hello! You want to get rid of the problem but you haven’t done anything for this for 4 whole years!!! If the boy is a student - then he is far from a child - you need to follow the doctor’s orders and then you will have the right to ask about the result - if suddenly there is none. I assume that your boy still has excess weight– this is also a problem - but the reason is the same. But maybe I’m wrong - it’s so difficult to give you advice. There is no need to persuade him - he is already an adult and if he does not consider this a problem, then leave everything as it is. Good luck to you!
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Hello! Your letter contains too little medical information, on the basis of which it would be possible to draw some conclusions and make specific recommendations. Neither the age of the child nor accurate diagnosis, nor the specialty of the doctor you consulted twice. Taking into account the treatment prescribed for your child ( vitamin preparation and a complex of soy phospholipids), the doctor himself does not really understand the reason for the development of gynecomastia and how to treat the disease in your child. Your child should be consulted by a mammologist and endocrinologist. Take care of your health!
Olga asks:
Hello! My daughter is 7 years old. The mammary gland on the left breast is enlarged (according to ultrasound results), an ultrasound of the pelvic organs showed an enlargement of both ovaries (corresponding to the age of a girl of 11 years). Hormones are all normal. There are no secondary sexual characteristics (no hair growth, nothing else except enlargement of the ovaries and one mammary gland). Height and weight are normal. Previously, an X-ray of the hand showed increased bone age, but recently they did it - it is now normal. They did an MRI of the head - everything is also normal. The endocrinologist makes a diagnosis of premature sexual development. But I didn’t prescribe treatment because we couldn’t identify the cause of the enlarged ovaries and mammary gland. Please help me understand the reasons for enlarged ovaries and mammary glands. Could any infections be the cause? (for example, transmitted from the mother). Can untreated infections of the mother (thrush or chlamydia, or papilloma virus, for example) affect this? Thank you.
Answers Krasulya Elena Stanislavovna:
Hello Olga!
I think you shouldn't worry too much about this. Enlargement of one breast often occurs in our practice (this happens, for example, due to scoliosis - nutrition on one side is better than on the other). As a rule, after a few months the second gland begins to “catch up”.
Concerning early development, then at 7 years old isolated telerche is not so catastrophic, I think, if all the main indicators are normal. Enlargement of the ovaries according to ultrasound is also not an absolute indicator and is considered in conjunction with other symptoms.
Pay attention to your diet, you may consume foods containing hormones (broilers, soy products), they can accelerate sexual development. At what age did you start your period? Perhaps it's a family trait.
Maternal infections are difficult to directly link to this condition, although everything in the body is connected. But if the cause were an infection, then there would be other, organic signs, but they are not.
In such cases, I recommend observation and the drug Hepel 1t 3 times for 3 months.
Maria asks:
My daughter is 16 years old; she herself felt a lump in her breast - near the nipple of her right breast. An ultrasound showed a hyperechoic formation, diameter 20 by 18. The doctor said it was a cyst and prescribed a course of mastodinon, lymphomiazot and Traumeel C ointment. Tell me what is the cause of a breast cyst in a girl and is there more? effective methods treatment?
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Hello Maria!
Lump in the chest, the structural basis of which is diagnosed as a cyst, requires not only ultrasound examination to determine the size of the formation, but also such as diagnosing the level of the most indicative hormones of the reproductive system - estradiol, prolactin, progesterone (on days 5-7 of the menstrual cycle - for the first and second, and on days 19-21 - for the third parameter, respectively).
It is believed that the formation of the indicated sizes may imply conservative treatment, however, with a lower likelihood of effective cure. Therefore, it is recommended to consider a combination drug therapy and aspiration (removal) of the cyst contents.
The main factor in the development of such conditions, incl. lumps in the breast - breast cysts, are hormonal imbalances in the reproductive system.
Therefore in in this case It is very desirable to revise diagnostic and treatment tactics in favor of a more in-depth approach: mandatory research of the hormonal profile, combined treatment methods. Take care of your health!
Asks Alexandra Nadezhina:
Hello!!! The day before yesterday I discovered a lump like a pebble inside my daughter’s right breast. child on breastfeeding, I feed everyone a little. What kind of lump is this? Please tell me, otherwise I’m worried, and now it’s either holidays or weekends???
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon. At this age, the most common cause of lumpiness in the breast is changes in the girl’s hormonal levels, as a result of the action of the mother’s hormones, which pass to the baby along with milk during breastfeeding. This compaction goes away on its own. But it is difficult to reliably determine what kind of compaction it is without examination and palpation. We also need information about the condition of the skin above the lump, whether there are any changes or there are signs inflammatory reaction(redness, swelling), size of the formation, whether it is fused with surrounding tissues or not, how long ago it appeared, whether the body temperature has increased. Based on this information, examination and palpation data, laboratory examination, only a doctor can make a final diagnosis. I strongly recommend that you consult a pediatrician and surgeon for an examination to rule out various tumor or inflammatory formations. All the best.
Olga asks:
Hello, my daughters (1 year and 7 months) have a lump in the breast on both sides, they visited a pediatric gynecologist, the diagnosis was thelarche, the doctor said that from the age of 3 the process will reverse. Is this true or not, are we very worried?
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon, Olga!
Diagnosis of isolated thelarche as the cause of chest tightness in children infancy may be conditioned high level estrogen hormones, which they receive from mother's milk during breastfeeding.
Therefore, it is natural that if breastfeeding continues for a long time, then the described manifestations will persist.
However, most often, when the child reaches 2 years of age, such phenomena disappear.
Throughout the entire period, it is very important to periodically undergo examinations with a pediatric gynecologist (up to 4 times a year); it is also advisable to conduct studies of the level of estradiol, prolactin, progesterone in the child ( individual consultation a specialist will help you decide on the necessary methodology and other nuances). Similar conditions - compaction in the chest like “engorgement” of the mammary glands, however, should be considered as a potential springboard for premature sexual development.
This is why regular examinations by a pediatric gynecologist/endocrinologist are so important. Be healthy!
Yaroslav asks:
My son is 6 years old. Recently we discovered a lump in the breast under the right nipple, of a regular round shape, slightly wider than the halo of the nipple itself. A few days later, the same thing formed under the left nipple. Doesn't complain of pain. Before this he caught a cold and now rarely coughs. Cough typical of a common cold. Sweats at night. The boy is active, there is no decrease in activity, his appetite is normal. Please tell me what are the causes of lumps under the nipples. The local surgeon said that this could be a consequence of complications of a cold and recommended an alcohol compress on the nipples, but this did not help.
Answers Medical consultant of the portal “health-ua.org”:
Good afternoon, Yaroslava! If we mean “engorgement” of the breast tissue, then the reasons for a lump in the breast of this nature may be associated with fluctuations in hormonal levels in the body. This is the most common factor, the fundamental basis of which may be various states(from functional, associated with “restructuring” during puberty, to organic, such as various neoplasms of one kind or another). Taking into account the anamnesis (“prehistory” of the disease), persistent respiratory symptoms (cough) and the indicated sweating at night are noteworthy (exclude infectious process), we should take a more in-depth approach to diagnosing the child’s condition. In addition to a clinical examination by a pediatric surgeon or endocrinologist, it is highly desirable to conduct instrumental and laboratory diagnostics(if indicated - radiography of organs chest/ ultrasound diagnostics, hormonal and immunological status, etc.). Be healthy!
A lump in the mammary gland in newly born babies, both girls and boys, may appear on the fifth day after birth. This is usually due to accumulation female hormones, received by the baby from the mother’s body. This symptom is not a cause for concern and most often goes away after the first month of the child’s life.
In a newborn born with a large weight, swelling and induration are observed quite often. There are discharges from the glands. These symptoms most often also go away on their own.
Parents often notice that the formation appeared four days after the birth of the baby, and by the tenth day it increases. Such swellings can be very small, about the size of a pea, and sometimes reach the size of a plum.
With the permission of the pediatrician, you can apply an ironed warm cloth or diaper to the place where the lump appears. This procedure will serve as a protective and warming agent.
It is important to avoid putting pressure on the nipple area to avoid infection. This may lead to purulent inflammation mammary glands - mastitis. If there is a dense area in the chest for more than a month, it is uneven and causes discomfort to the baby, you should inform your pediatrician about it. The doctor should find out the cause by referring you to an endocrinologist and surgeon for consultation.
Possible reasons
Changes in a child's breasts can persist even up to one year, especially when breastfeeding a newborn. Maternal hormones are transmitted through milk, and even with breastfeeding for only two to three days, a girl or boy may develop lumps or enlarged breasts. After finishing mother's milk feeding after six months, this problem goes away, but can remain up to three years and even before puberty as a normal option if:
When contacting an endocrinologist, tests for the following hormones are prescribed:
- follicle-stimulating (FSH);
- prolactin;
- luteinizing (LH);
- estradiol;
- testosterone;
- 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OPG);
- dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA sulfate).
Tests are carried out to exclude early puberty, as well as impaired functionality of the adrenal cortex.
The endocrinologist also collects anamnesis. It is important to mention here the available endocrine diseases from close relatives: parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, sisters, brothers. The doctor finds out if there are diseases in the family such as diabetes, diseases of the thyroid gland, brain, adrenal glands, ovaries, autoimmune disorders. It is also necessary to inform the doctor if the family has short (below 155 cm) or very tall (above 190 cm) relatives.
Diagnostic methods
If there are signs of changes in the mammary gland, a specialist conducts a visual external examination, which includes studying the amount of glandular breast tissue and the estrogenation of nipple halos. The presence of secondary sexual characteristics is also determined and the ratio of height and weight is calculated, all data is compared with the age norm.
Ultrasound examination of the tissues of the mammary glands, adrenal glands, breasts, and pelvis helps to identify the causes of changes in mammary glands child. Cyst in breast tissue It is extremely rare in children.
Based on the studies conducted on hormones, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and adrenal glands is sometimes prescribed.
Precocious puberty
There are two types of precocious puberty:
- False, in which secondary sexual characteristics develop as a result of excessive production of steroids by the adrenal glands and gonads. The main reason is a congenital dysfunction of the adrenal cortex. More rare reason– tumors of hormonal nature.
- True, in which the pituitary gland produces premature secretion of gonadotropin.
Treatment is carried out to delay the development of early puberty. At congenital disorder adrenal function replacement treatment is prescribed hormonal drugs(glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids). Sometimes surgery is performed.
The consequence of too early sexual development of a child is the appearance already at 5 years and earlier of all signs of maturation: enlargement of the mammary gland, the appearance of menstruation, hair growth. But the most important thing is closing the growth zone. This means that the child stops growing.
In severe cases of congenital dysfunction of the adrenal cortex, death is possible.
Breast formations in girls over 9 years of age
If a lump appears in a child over 9 years old, diagnosis using a mammograph is necessary to determine the pathology. Still, it is most likely that in girls, lumps occur due to the onset of restructuring hormonal system. From the age of 9-10 years, the mammary glands begin to grow and appear painful sensations, swelling and small compactions. This is considered normal if the formations are uniform and small, and also if there are no severe pain. If in doubt, it is better to show the child to a specialist.
Sometimes a woman gets worried when her son has a medical examinations detect changes in the chest. They most often arise from the age of thirteen - during the period adolescence. Hormones again play a leading role here, but it is better to consult an endocrinologist.
Malignant tumors in a young child or teenager occur extremely rarely compared to adults, but it should be remembered that the risk of malignancy of tumors always exists.
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