Strange Case of Lina Medina + Rare Condition of Precocious Puberty

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_{Illustrative Photo Source}

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The strange story of the youngest mother in the world revolves around Lina Medina.

Born in Paurange on 27th September 1933, Lina Medina became famously known for giving birth to her first child on the 14th of May 1939, at the ridiculous and mind-twisting age of just 5 years and 8 months old.

Till date she still holds the rather unenviable and, perhaps, uncontestable record for being the youngest mother in the world.

Around that time, Lina Medina parents actually thought that their 5-year old angel was suffering from a huge abdominal tumour. This prompted her father to take her for medical examination at a hospital.

It was discovered that she was already in her seventh month of pregnancy, and about one month and a half later after diagnosis; the little miss incredible gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, at the unripe age of 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days 🙀

The child who was birthed at full term of pregnancy at the maternity clinic in Lima was born via a caesarean section. The surgical operation was carried out by Dr Gerardo Lozada and Dr Busalleu, while Dr Colretta was the anaesthesiologist.

The child weighed 2,700 grams and was in good health. Both mother and child eventually left the clinic a few days after.

Following the bizarre occurrence, Dr Lozada had conducted series of detailed examinations and studies of the pregnancy which raised a lot of eyebrows in the country, after it was discovered.

Dr lozada’s diagnostics of the foetal situation of child-mother, Lina Medina was revealed that the little mother had experienced her menarche and had begun menstruating at just 8 months of age.

At the age of four years, Lina Medina had already developed breasts, with pubic hairs. According to studies, her body proportions were a tad incredible. Her bone structure and hardening were also quite advanced – a phenomenon observed in cases of such premature pregnancy cases.

Her baby boy was named Gerardo, after one of the doctors who tended to her case and subsequently became her mentor.

When her son, Gerardo was 10 years old, he discovered that the person he grew up with and assumed all along was his sister was actually his very own birth mother.

Her son grew up healthy but died at the age of 40 years in 1979, due to a disease that attacks the bone marrow’s of the body. It wasn’t clear however if the condition was linked in any way to the fact that his mother had been way too young when she had him.

Lina Medina got married about 25 years after the birth of her first son. She then had a second son in 1972, about 33 years after the birth of her first child, Gerardo.

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Who was the father of the baby?

Well, Lina Medina has been mute about the identity of her baby daddy ever since. Even at her current age of 84 years, Lina Medina still hasn’t granted any interview as to reveal the identity of her baby daddy or elucidate on the mind-boggling circumstances surrounding her rather bizarre pregnancy.

For a while it was suggested that she may not actually know the details surrounding her pregnancy, neither was she capable of writing about it.

During that period, her father was suspected and arrested based on the suspicion of him being responsible and being a sexual abuser of a child. However, he was subsequently released due to lack of evidence, and till date, the biological father of Gerardo, the son of the youngest mother ever, was never identified.

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Scientific verification and documentation of the case

Initially when the news broke, so many people (including yours truly) concluded that it was all a hoax. However, several doctors and physicians over the years were able to scientifically prove and document the authenticity of the Lina Medina cases.

Scientific and medical procedures such as X-rays of the fetal skeleton in utero, biopsies, and even photographs taken by her personal doctors at the time, were essential in verifying the case.

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Possible medical and scientific explanation of the strange case and pregnancy

There were no logical and, perhaps, plausible theory or explanation at the time, of how a five-year old child could conceive and give birth to a child.

Presently though, there is the bizarre medical condition known as precocious puberty which lends credence to the condition that Lina Medina may have suffered at the time.

However, the case of the extreme precocious pregnancy in children that are five-years of age and below has only been documented via the case of Lina Medina.

But a normal pubic development chart looks like the image below...

_{Pubertal Human Development Chart Source: By Rajendra prabhune (20 April 2017)}

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The rare condition known as precocious puberty?

Given that the Lina Medina case occurred when she was just about five-years of age, and is the rarest case ever; let us consider the precocious puberty and what it is all about.

Precocious puberty is a term which refers to puberty which occurs unusually early in the life of a child. It is regarded as a form of variation of the normal development of the body. Sometimes the process is normal in terms of the body development, but it is weirdly unusual given that is occurs at an early age.

Sometimes in affected children, the early development and transformation is triggered by an injury to the brain or a disease like a tumour. Even when there is no observable disease in play, an unusual early puberty has far-reaching effects on a child health-wise, psychologically, socially, and otherwise. The opposite condition is, however, known as delayed puberty. A stricter definition of the precocity condition in medicine is from around 8 years in girls and around 9 years in boys.

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Classes of precocious puberty based on causes

When it comes to the various precocious puberty cases, the elements which causes them tend to define their form and condition. Some of the classification include:

• Central Precocious Puberty (also known as true or complete precocious puberty) – It is when the condition can be linked to the hypothalamus or pituitary. It can be caused by Angelman syndrome, infection, intracranial neoplasm, trauma and hydrocephalus.

• Peripheral Precocious Puberty (also known as precocious pseudopuberty) – When the precocious puberty or secondary sexual development is caused or induced by sex steroids from a variety of abnormal sources, the condition is referred to as peripheral precocious puberty. In children it is seen as a severe form of disease. Causes can include endogenous sources such as tumours, and exogenous hormones.

• Isosexual and heterosexual – This is when sufferers of precocious puberty develop secondary sexual characteristics that are phenotypically appropriate. This particular condition can vary further; as sometimes people with the condition may develop in an opposite gender direction such as a male person developing breasts and feminine properties. While in female sufferers, they can develop facial hairs and a deepened voice. This type or variation is very rare and is known as heterosexual or contrasexual precocious puberty, and is not as common as isosexual precocity.

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Diagnosis and Medical Studies of Precocious Puberty

Various medical diagnosis and studies show that puberty levels are now being achieved faster and earlier than in previous generations. With this diagnosis, early puberty in girls of 9 and 10 years is no longer classified as abnormal. Although, there could be upsetting harmful effects for children (and even their parents) who are still mentally immature at the time that they mature physically.

It is quite undecided as to the age that demarcates normal and abnormal precocious processes in children, but research and studies have yielded the age threshold below which enables significant medical problems and conditions get detected early enough in children who suffer from a form of precocious puberty.
• Boys developing breasts before testicular enlargement and appearance of pubic hair
• Enlargement of genitalia or pubic hair before 9.5 years in boys
• Onset of pubic hair before age 8 or breast development before age 7 in girls
• Menstruation before age 10 in girls

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_{Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site Source: By OpenStax College (2 May 2013)}

Medical Treatment and Procedures

In order to reduce the risk of missing a significant medical problem with children with precocious puberty, medical evaluation is highly recommended to identify those with serious conditions, especially girls who may become objects or adult sexual pedophilia.

Also, evaluation helps to determine those who might be medically normal but whose precocious puberty may lead to early maturation of bone, a reduction in eventual height, presence of tumours or other serious conditions.

Treatments could be achieved with anastrozole. Also, Histrelin acetate (Supprelin LA), triptorelin or leuprolide, any GnRH agonists, may be used. Non-continuous usage of GnRH agonists stimulates the pituitary gland to release follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). But in the event of regular usage, GnRH agonists cause a decreased release of FSH and LH. Prolonged use also has a risk of causing osteoporosis. After the stoppage of the use of GnRH agonists, pubertal changes resume within 3 to 12 months.

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Conclusion

The case of Lina Medina was an eye opener to the world of medicine and biology, and the implication and adverse effects that extreme cases of early puberty or precocious puberty can have on a child. Today, early attainment of puberty exposes the girl child to a higher risk of teasing, mental and psychological disorders, a short stature, and ultimately, sexual abuse, which is actually quite distinguishable and unrelated to pedophilia. Reason being that the child with precocious puberty has developed secondary sex characteristics. But the case of pedophilia or a casual relationship is not as conclusive as the case of precocious puberty.

Also girls who attain early puberty have been studied and are said to be at a high risk of suffering breast cancer in their alter years. In the past, puberty characteristics typically occurred in girls around age 13, but girls as young as 8 years of age are becoming women (menstruating, developing pubic hair, breasts, etc) at an increasing rate.

Boys are not left out. Even though the boys face fewer problems than the girls, the boys don't always have positive experiences with early puberty attainment. That of boys is often accompanied with increased aggressiveness owing to a surge of hormones which tend to affect them emotionally, psychological and sexually as well - leading to risky behaviours and tendencies.

There is no general theory or consensus yet for the trend of early puberty attainment in children of present generations; as exact factors responsible aren't exactly known.

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References:

Lina Medina | Precocious Puberty | US National Library of Medicine | Webcitation | Delayed Puberty | Menarche | Springerlink | Journal of paediatrics and child health | Kidhealth | Challenges and controversies of precocious puberty

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