Puberty and Precocious Puberty: For Patients and Consumers

General Information

Normal Puberty

• The National Library of Medicine (NLM) webpage on puberty includes general information and links to additional resources about specific conditions, diagnostic tests, and ongoing research.
  • Visit the NLM's MedlinePlus webpage for details.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) maintains information about various stages of childhood growth and development, including puberty.
  • Find out more about characteristic changes in boys and in girls at the various stages.
  • Read more about the changes that young girls and boys experience.
• Information about changes during puberty for teenage girls is available from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a membership organization of women's health care providers.
  • Read the ACOG fact sheet "Your Changing Body." (PDF – 311 KB)

Precocious Puberty

• A brief overview of precocious puberty for parents, including information about related disorders, is available from the NLM.
  • Find details about precocious puberty as a clinical condition.
• The Hormone Foundation maintains information for parents and others about various conditions affected by the balance and function of hormones in the body.
  • Read the bilingual (Spanish and English) fact sheet on precocious puberty. (PDF – 46 KB)
• A helpful overview of the topic of precocious puberty is available from the AAP. The academy also has reported on a trend among girls toward a younger onset of puberty.
  • Read "When Puberty Starts Early."
  • Read a brief overview of a study documenting the trend in younger onset of puberty.
• The Society for Endocrinology also provides information about the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of precocious puberty.
  • Find answers to common questions about precocious puberty.
• The National Research Center for Women and Families is a nongovernment organization that advocates for public health and safety and provides information based on research findings about health and development.
  • Read more about exposure to chemicals and early puberty.
  • Find out more about trends toward early puberty in girls.

Organizations, Support, and Services

Finding an Endocrinologist

• Endocrinologists are doctors with expertise in the production, function, and balance of hormones in the body throughout the life cycle. These doctors specialize in diagnosing and treating disorders of glands that produce hormones, such as the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, pancreas, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, ovaries, testes, and adrenal glands.
  • Read more about endocrinologists and the endocrine system.
  • Find an endocrinologist by ZIP code in the Endocrine Society directory.
• ACOG is an association of obstetricians, gynecologists, and other health professionals who provide health care to women.
  • Search the association's physician directory to find a specialist.
• AAP members are health care providers devoted to the health of children.
  • Find a pediatrician by ZIP code.

Joining a Support Group

• The MAGIC Foundation
  In addition to general information about a wide variety of critical and/or chronic disorders, syndromes, or diseases that affect a child's growth, the MAGIC Foundation offers opportunities to participate in online chat groups and parent education sessions.
  • Find a message board.
• CARES Foundation
  The CARES Foundation focuses on improving the lives of families touched by congenital adrenal hyperplasia and seeks to advance quality health care through support, advocacy, education, and research.
  • Search by state or country for a support group.

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from the NICHD, NIH, or HHS.