Why does my 10-month-old baby have pubic hair?

My 10-month-old daughter, who is yet to grow any teeth, has started getting pubic hair, which is really worrying. What can I do? Amoit

Dear Amoit,

Many parents show lots of concern if their children grow too fast or too slowly, fearing that this could be due to an unknown hidden medical problem.

Some babies may be born with a tooth while others may start teething late (after a year) although on average, most babies get their first tooth at six months. So, at 10 months, having not started teething is quite normal. 

Puberty is when a child’s body begins to develop into that of an adult (usually around eight years for girls). Precocious puberty in girls is when puberty begins earlier than eight years.

In real puberty, for girls, a brain part (hypothalamus) starts producing a hormone which causes the pituitary gland to produce hormones that trigger the production of oestrogen from the ovaries which oestrogen then kick starts puberty (breast development and periods, among others).

Other puberty hormones that lead to the growth of pubic and underarm hair are male hormones produced by the adrenal glands, which are found atop of the kidneys. 

The adrenal-related changes can happen in the absence of real puberty, but are normal and, therefore, what is happening to your child may be normal.

However, children who develop certain signs of puberty at an early age should be referred to an endocrinologists (a medical practitioner specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the endocrine glands) to rule out medical problems related to early growth of pubic hair.

Living with an HIV positive partner

After being bitten by a Nairobi fly, my husband and I went for an HIV test. He was found positive but I was found negative. I love my husband and do not want to leave him. Are there drugs I can take to protect me from getting HIV? Angella

Dear Angella,

Some of the main reasons leading to HIV infection in women is economic vulnerability, and having no or little say in sexual matters. In most cases, women will engage in sexual intercourse with men suffering from HIV infection without even using protection, hence risking getting HIV infection.

What you call a Nairobi fly burn could have been Herpes Zoster infection (Kisipi), which can happen when a person’s ability to fight infections is reduced (immunosuppression), as happens with HIV infection, the reason the doctor chose to check both of you for HIV infection.

When one partners is HIV positive and the other is negative (discordant couples), there is always a danger of infecting the one who is healthy if the couple continues having unprotected sex as more commonly happens when the woman is HIV negative and the man positive.

Before you and your husband are intimate again, get proper counselling from a qualified Aids counsellor or your doctor. The doctor is likely to immediately start your husband on drugs that treat HIV (ARVS) apart from encouraging proper and consistent use of condoms to keep you safe from HIV infection.

The doctor might also advise you to use PreP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to further protect you from getting infected.