by Kim Eunha
Published 08 Mar.2026 11:09(KST)
Updated 08 Mar.2026 11:51(KST)
A story has emerged from the United Kingdom about a woman whose five-year-old daughter was already experiencing symptoms of puberty. Concerns have been raised that the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug she was using to treat menopause may have influenced her daughter's condition, highlighting the need for caution when using such medications.
Medical staff believed that the hormone replacement therapy drug Samantha used might have affected her daughter’s precocious puberty. (This photo is not directly related to the article.) Pixabay Pixabay
원본보기 아이콘According to recent reports from the Daily Mail and other outlets, Samantha Ashworth, 52, who resides in the UK, noticed changes in her daughter Freya, who was three years old at the time. These changes included the development of breast buds, pubic hair, and severe mood swings. Freya's body was growing so rapidly compared to her peers that she had to wear clothing intended for six- or seven-year-olds.
Samantha took her daughter to the hospital, where Freya was diagnosed with precocious puberty. Precocious puberty is a condition in which puberty begins abnormally early-before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys.
After considering various possibilities, the medical staff explained that one of the causes could be exposure to the hormone medications Samantha was using for menopause treatment. She had been using medications in gel and patch forms to alleviate her menopausal symptoms, and it was suggested that the drug might have been transferred through skin contact while hugging her child.
Samantha said, "I was never instructed to wear gloves when using the product." Freya is currently under regular observation at the hospital.
Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment used to supplement estrogen and other hormones that decrease after menopause. In particular, gel or cream formulations applied to the skin can lead to secondary exposure if they come into contact with another person's skin before being fully absorbed.
Experts recommend washing your hands after applying hormone gels or creams and avoiding skin-to-skin contact with others until the medication has been completely absorbed.
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