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Precocious puberty is abnormally early sexual development, defined as secondary sexual characteristics appearing before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys. It occurs when the pituitary gland prematurely releases gonadotropins, triggering estrogen in girls and testosterone in boys, causing early breast development, testicular enlargement, pubic hair, voice changes, and growth spurts.

Two main types exist: central precocious puberty (most common, caused by early activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, often with no identifiable cause) and peripheral precocious puberty (triggered by excess sex hormones from ovarian, testicular, or adrenal tumors, cysts, or congenital adrenal hyperplasia).

Children with precocious puberty grow fast initially but finish growing early, resulting in significantly shorter adult height than their genetic potential. Early puberty also causes emotional and psychological stress, social difficulties, and behavioral problems in young children.

Diagnosis involves physical exams, blood tests for hormone levels, hand X-rays to assess bone age, GnRH stimulation tests, pelvic/abdominal ultrasound, and brain MRI to rule out tumors.

Treatment goals include stopping puberty to preserve adult height and reduce psychosocial stress. Peripheral cases require treating underlying causes like tumor removal. Most children resume normal puberty after treatment ends.