A toddler grew breasts and began experiencing signs of early puberty after she was accidentally exposed to her transgender father’s hormone therapy.
The unnamed child, 3, was brought to doctors in Denmark after showing signs of extremely early puberty that had persisted for six months, including enlarged breasts and nipples and premature vaginal discharge.
Her father told physicians the pair had frequent skin-to-skin contact, a key part of bonding.
The parent, however, was also undergoing estrogen therapy as part of a gender transition from man to woman. The father used estrogen cream across their body, including chest, abdomen, shoulders and thighs daily.
Doctors warned that the girl had been absorbing the estrogen, a female sex hormone, from the skin contact, triggering premature puberty.
This set off a cascade of potentially dangerous side effects.
Premature puberty in females, before the ages of eight years, can lead to a higher risk of certain cancers, including breast and endometrial cancers, mental health problems, behavioral issues, eating disorders and substance abuse.
