Precocious puberty is rare, meaning it affects about 1% or less of the U.S. population. Many more girls are affected than boys. One study suggests that African American girls have some early breast development or some early pubic hair more often than white girls or Hispanic girls.
What causes precocious puberty? It may be caused by tumors or growths on the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or brain. Other causes may include central nervous system problems, family history of the disease, or certain rare genetic syndromes. In many cases, no cause can be found for the disorder.
That was the experience of Patrick Burleigh, who has a rare genetic mutation that triggers testosterone production far younger than normal.
Inheritance. Central precocious puberty follows an autosomal dominant pattern , which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. When passed from parent to child, the condition is known as familial central precocious puberty.
Researchers and physicians hypothesized about possible causes for the increase in early puberty, such as increasing rates of obesity; greater exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in food, plastics, and personal-care products; and stressful or abusive home environments.
If a girl starts menstruation at a young age, it's usually because the hormones in her body responsible for puberty are being produced earlier.
Precocious puberty is rare, meaning it affects about 1% or less of the U.S. population. Many more girls are affected than boys. One study suggests that African American girls have some early breast development or some early pubic hair more often than white girls or Hispanic girls.
The most dangerous age is 14. If you know any teenagers this might not come as a surprise, but research has confirmed that risk-taking peaks during this exact moment in mid-adolescence.
For most children, early puberty starts for no known reason. It can run in families. Sometimes there is a problem in the brain, such as an injury, a tumor or an infection. Early puberty can also be caused by a problem in the sex glands (testes or ovaries), the thyroid gland or the adrenal glands.
Addressing Physical and Mental Changes of Early Puberty
Your child may have a noticeable growth spurt because of their early puberty, but one of its complications is an abrupt and early end of that growth, leading to short stature as an adult.
In a small minority of cases a child will suffer from a rare condition called precocious puberty, which causes their bodies start to start developing when they are as young as two years old.
The actual spurt was then smaller and, moreover, puberty occurred earlier. In the category of children with lower BMI and later onset of puberty, the spurt was all the stronger. Those whose puberty was delayed also had several extra years to grow in, and quite simply ended up taller.
In recent years, some reports of CPP have been reported in children with ASD [4-7]. David and Mark [7] reported that the precocious puberty rate was 3.15 times higher in the ASD group than in the control group and that precocious puberty was more likely to occur after three years of age.
But it's perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys. There's not usually any need to worry if puberty does not start around the average age, but it's a good idea to speak to your GP for advice if it starts before 8 or has not started by around 14.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence that drinking milk causes early puberty. In the United States, girls are entering puberty at younger ages than they were in the first half of the 20th century. Researchers do not know the exact trigger for early-onset puberty, although it is likely influenced by many factors.
“The age of puberty, especially female puberty, has been decreasing in western cultures for decades now,” Chapa said. “For example, at the turn of the 20th century, the average age for an American girl to get her period was 16 or 17. Today, that number has decreased to 12 or 13 years.”
Breast buds are small, disc-shaped lumps felt under the nipple and areola. Any lump found under the areola is a breast bud until proven otherwise. Breast symptoms in newborns are also covered. Other symptoms: breast lump, breast redness and nipple discharge.
“It is not uncommon for girls to start their period as young as 8 or 9,” says Dr. Sara Kreckman, UnityPoint Health pediatrician. “This can be both emotionally and mentally challenging for girls this young, as well as their parents.”
The onset of adolescence, generally between 12 and 14, is the hardest age for a teenage girl. The hormones of puberty cause her to feel her emotions more intensely but she has not yet developed the reasoning skills to know how to handle them.
Every stage of parenting has its challenges, but one poll reveals what age most parents feel they struggled with the most.
Puberty typically starts at 10-11 years for girls and 11-12 years for boys. It can be earlier or later. In puberty, children get taller, heavier and stronger. There are also changes in children's sexual organs, brains, skin, hair, teeth and sweatiness.
When your daughter starts to go through puberty, her gonads (ovaries) and adrenal glands (glands that sit on top of the kidneys) release hormones. These hormones cause the first signs of puberty, which are breast development, body odor, underarm hair, pubic hair and acne (pimples).
Periods usually begin at around the age of 12. Some girls will start them later, and some earlier – everyone is different. To start with, periods might not happen every month but from the ages of around 16 to 18 most people who menstruate will find their periods are regular.
However, if your daughter gets her period at age 7 or 8, you should consult a doctor, as she may have a condition called precocious puberty, which is a medical condition caused by an abnormality in the brain and the way it releases hormones.