My menopause gel made my daughter go through puberty at the age of three… I feel so guilty
A mother is warning parents about the risks of accidental exposure to topical hormone gels after her daughter started showing signs of puberty when she was just three years old – an experience she says has caused her child to ‘miss out on being a normal child’.
Samantha Ashworth, 52, said her concerns were initially assuaged when she took her now five-year-old daughter to the GP after noticing the mood swings and physical changes often associated with puberty.
Drawing on her professional background as a newborn hearing screening specialist and trained nursery nurse, Ms Ashworth recognized the signs early.
‘I knew what happened, but I didn’t feel listened to,’ he said.
After a year of persistent symptoms, missing school due to medical appointments and changing GPs while searching for answers, her daughter was diagnosed with precocious puberty, a rare condition in which puberty begins unusually early, in February last year.
‘It was heartbreaking,’ Ms Ashworth said. ‘By then a full year had passed and he might have been receiving treatment. It was a very stressful and emotional time; We just wanted answers.’
Doctors believe the early onset of puberty may have been triggered by accidental contact with the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) gel Ms Ashworth used to relieve menopause symptoms.
Although transfer from topical hormone treatments is rare, it can occur if application instructions are not carefully followed.
Samantha Ashworth, 52, said she felt her concerns were ignored when she took her daughter, now five, to the GP after noticing mood swings and physical changes typically associated with puberty.
She described the impact on her daughter, who was wearing six-to-seven-year-old clothes when she was three, as ‘terrifying’.
She said: ‘It was awful watching him struggle with mood swings and not being able to deal with his emotions at such a young age.
‘These crises were very difficult to manage because it looked like she was having a tantrum, when in reality she was dealing with teenage hormones.
‘He was having uncontrollable outbursts, throwing himself into bed and becoming very angry.
‘This was a daily battle to prevent the meltdown. His mood swings were typical of a teenager. He was slamming doors, screaming, crying and couldn’t understand what was going on in his body.
‘He was in a lot of pain but I couldn’t explain it to him in a way he could understand.’
Professor Jovanna Dahlgren, a pediatric endocrinologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, has previously spoken about the dangers of hormone treatments for children.
Speaking to Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, he said: ‘I don’t think people always realize how effective these treatments are. ‘When the parents realize what has happened, they are completely helpless.’
“It was awful watching him struggle with mood swings and not being able to deal with his emotions at such a young age,” Samantha said.
He added that there was another case in which a 10-year-old boy developed breasts after being exposed to female sex hormone therapy that his mother received.
The risk of exposure to hormonal drugs during childhood is also known in the UK. In 2023, the UK medicines safety regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received a report that a British child experienced ‘increased growth and genital enlargement’ after exposure to testosterone gel used by his parents.
This has led the MHRA to demand that manufacturers add warnings to testosterone gels, advising adults to wash their hands and avoid direct skin-to-skin contact with children. Similar precautions are recommended for women taking hormone-based medications due to menopause to prevent accidental exposure.
However, Ms Ashworth said she was never advised to wear gloves when applying her gel, a precaution usually recommended to reduce the risk of transmission.
‘He may have contacted me with the gel through hugs,’ he said.
Her daughter now goes for check-ups every six months to monitor her condition.
The problem comes as more women access HRT treatments. According to NHS data, 14.7 million HRT items were prescribed in England in 2024/25; This was an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
Estradiol, the primary and most potent form of human estrogen produced by the ovaries during a woman’s reproductive years, is the most common form used in menopausal hormone therapy.
Estradiol gel, often sold under brand names such as Oestrogel and Sandrena, is a first-line transdermal option for managing menopause symptoms.
According to the NHS Commercial Services Authority, the most commonly prescribed HRT product in England in 2024/25 was estradiol gel, with 1.3 million products dispensed, an increase of 13 per cent compared to 2023/24.
Talking about the connection between estrogen gel and early puberty, Dr. Deborah Lee Dr Fox Online Pharmacy She told the Daily Mail that early puberty is likely to become more common as maternal age increases.
‘The incidence of early puberty is increasing for many reasons, including environmental factors and the current childhood obesity epidemic,’ he said.
‘It is a very distressing condition for both child and parents and should always be carefully assessed and managed by a specialist paediatrician.’
Dr Lee highlights that the Estrogel Summary of Product Characteristics clearly states that there is a small risk of passive estradiol transfer when using the gel and that children should not come into contact with it.
He also adds that the gel should be allowed to dry for five minutes and covered with clothing.
‘While the SPC is primarily for medical professionals, it is available to anyone online and is not intended to be kept away from patients,’ he said.
‘It is vital that doctors and nurses convey important information to the patient about how to use any medical product.
‘It is not possible to cover everything in a busy clinic and patients need to read the PIL and follow the instructions carefully.
‘It is quite possible that this case of early puberty has already occurred and has nothing to do with Estrogel.
‘But there’s no way to prove it one way or the other. Women should not be afraid to use Estrogel, but should follow the application instructions and use it very carefully.’
