Delayed or Precocious Puberty in Males

Delayed puberty is exactly what it sounds like – a delay in reaching puberty. In males this means a lack of testicular growth by the age of 14. Delayed testicular growth inhibits other natural signs of puberty from occurring, such as development of pubic hair. Delayed puberty can be caused by an condition called Constitutional Growth Delay. This causes a temporary delay in the growth of the skeletal system that keeps a child from growing taller. There could also be an underlying medical condition that causes delayed puberty. There are also some medications that can cause delayed puberty. Research is now being done to see if there is connection between delayed puberty and ADHD medications.

Precocious Puberty is when the onset of puberty comes earlier than normal. When a male child begins to show signs of puberty before the age of 9 it is something that should be evaluated by a medical professional. This is because Precocious Puberty in males may be due to a tumor or another type of pathology. It is rare for males to be affected by early onset puberty. Treatment for early puberty in males is generally a shot treatment using the drug Lupron. Shots are given every three months until deemed unnecessary by a medical professional.