This Baby Needs a Shave: Indian Toddler Hits Early Puberty

In what is a very rare case, an 18 month old Indian toddler has fully developed male organs, pubic and facial hair and cracked voice; more so, it is most likely that he experiences sexual urges, doctors say.

The toddler is a very complicated case as the testosterone (male sexual hormone) level of the boy is as high as that of a 25 year old male.

The boy's Pediatrician Dr. Vaishakhi Rustagi told Sputnik, "This rare condition is called 'precocious' or early puberty and affects one in one hundred thousand children. We call it early puberty if it starts at 8 or 10 years <…> or even at 5 or 6 <…> but this case is very rare as the child seems to have started showing signs of puberty as early as six months."

Usually brain tumors or abdominal tumors cause precocious but this boy has not been diagnosed with any such disease. "At the moment, we cannot clearly say what caused this condition. But luckily, there is no tumor," Dr. Rustagi said.

The boy is likely to face many physical and psychological complications in the future despite the elaborate and expensive hormone blocking therapy he is currently undergoing. "Early onset of puberty can cause several problems. The early growth spurt initially can cause tall stature, but rapid bone maturation can cause linear growth to cease too early and can result in limited adult stature of only about 4 feet tall. Such children tend to be very violent. Apart from other medications, he will have to be administered an injection every month which will limit his growth process. We will withdraw the treatment when he will turn 10 to 12 years old. That is when all other complications will start showing."

The boy's family said that he was born normal but grew at a faster pace, making him much taller and heavier than babies of his age. They were alarmed when they noticed that his male organs were fully developed, and took him to the doctor, who confirmed that he had attained puberty early.