Antibiotics During Infancy Linked To Early Puberty

Seoul: Girls given antibiotics during their first year of life, especially in the first three months, are more likely to enter puberty at an earlier age, according to new research.

The research, presented at the first Joint Congress between the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), found that the likelihood of early puberty was also higher among those exposed to a greater variety of antibiotic classes.

The findings highlight the importance of using these medicines in infants appropriately and how early-life drug exposure could shape future health outcomes.

Early puberty, also known as central precocious puberty (CPP), is a condition characterised by the early onset of secondary sexual development in children. In girls this means before age 8 and, in boys, before age 9. Early puberty mostly affects girls and often has no obvious cause, while it is less common in boys.