Girls in the U.S. seem to be hitting puberty even earlier than they were ten years ago, according to new research, and doctors are troubled by the developing trend.
In a new study, published today in Pediatrics, Dr. Frank Biro of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and a team of researchers collected data from 1,200 girls aged 7 and 8 and their doctors in Cincinnati, New York and San Francisco – using a standard measure of breast development to judge whether the girls had entered puberty. Compared to a similar study in 1997, a greater number of the girls, particularly white girls, were more developed at a younger age.
Doctors and scientists find this trend worrying. Hitting puberty early leaves these girls at higher risk of breast cancer because they menstruate longer, which increases cancer risks. Starting puberty before they are emotionally mature enough to deal with all of the hormonal and social aspects of having a mature body is also a strain on young girls. Girls who develop early are at greater risk of depression and often start having sex earlier than those that develop later.
“For the 11-year old that looks like she’s 15 or 16, adults are going to interact with her like she’s 15 or 16, but so are her peers,” Biro told Reuters. Girls who develop early “look physically older,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that they’re psychologically or socially more mature.”
Both Biro’s study and another published today in Pediatrics suggest that obesity may be at the root of this trend. Girls with a higher BMI are more likely to hit puberty early. Yet another reason to make sure your kids eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and exercise.
