He Started Puberty When He Was 2 Years Old. Now, He's Sharing His Experience

One thing all humans have in common is that at a certain point in our childhood, we go through puberty: we get bigger, our bodies change, we often get a little rambunctious and moody, and we mature sexually.

But imagine if those changes occurred not when you were 11 or 13 or 15 years old, but when you were a toddler. That was the experience of Patrick Burleigh, who has a rare genetic mutation that triggers testosterone production far younger than normal.

Doctors call it precocious puberty.

“It’s extremely rare — it’s estimated that there might be like fewer than 1,000 of us,” says Burleigh, who  in New York magazine. “And basically it’s a mutation of the luteinizing hormone chorionic gonadotropin receptor gene, which is responsible for triggering testosterone production in the testicles.”