I appreciate the clear background given by the Mayo Clinic site, and so am essentially re-posting it here:
A Review of How Puberty Normally Starts
First: Part of the brain makes a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH).
Second: Gn-RH causes the pituitary gland — a small bean-shaped gland at the base of your brain — to release two more hormones. The hormones are called luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
Third: LH and FSH cause the ovaries to produce hormones involved in the growth and development of female sexual characteristics (estrogen) and the testicles to produce hormones responsible for the growth and development of male sexual characteristics (testosterone). The body will also begin to make estrogen and testosterone.
Fourth: The production of estrogen and testosterone causes the physical changes of puberty.
The Two Types of Precocious Puberty
The reason puberty begins early in some children depends on the type of precocious puberty they have: central precocious puberty or peripheral precocious puberty.
In central precocious puberty (CPP), the brain starts the process of puberty too soon. Although they begin earlier than they should, the pattern and timing of the steps in the process are otherwise normal. For the majority of children with this condition, there's no underlying medical problem and no identifiable reason for the early puberty.
Peripheral precocious puberty (PPP) is less common than central precocious puberty and happens without the involvement of your brain triggering the start of puberty. Instead, the cause is release of estrogen or testosterone into the body because of problems with the ovaries, testicles, adrenal glands or pituitary gland or some other cause.
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Because most cases of precocious puberty are CPP, that's what this blog will address. Based on what's written above, CPP starts when the brain for some reason sends the "start puberty now" message early -- but what might explain why this is happening?
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