The earliest physical change of puberty for girls is usually breast development, which most often begins around 10 or 11 years. But it's perfectly normal for breast development to start anytime between the ages of 7 and 13.
The onset of breast development in girls less than 8 years of age may be the first sign of precocious puberty or more likely a condition referred to as benign premature thelarche. Benign thelarche is most commonly seen in girls who are under 2 or older than 6 years of age.
The breasts get bigger and rounder as the fatty tissue and milk-producing glands inside the breasts continue to grow. The areola also gets bigger and darker and the nipples may stick out. By the age of 17, a girl's breasts will usually be fully developed, although this may take a bit longer.
Since girls in the United States start their periods anywhere from 9 to 15 years of age, breast development starting as early as 7 years of age is normal. In general, a girl starts her period in a pattern similar to her mother; if Mom started early, her daughter is more likely to start early.
Breast development during puberty
2.1 Stage 1 This stage begins at about 8-12 years old, the nipples just begin to pop up, pink circle appears. This process takes quite a long time.
Baby girls (and boys) often have breast buds (thelarche). In girls, these grow bigger during the first 6 to 18 months of life, but are usually regressing (growing softer) by 2 years of age. This is a normal physiologic process involving transient activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Doctors don't usually get concerned unless a girl has had no breast development by the age of 13 or has failed to have her first period by the age of 16. There are several reasons why a young woman may be later to develop than her peers.
If you're in your teens, your breasts may still grow and change, but they may also have reached their final size. You won't know until you've finished growing. For most girls, that's in their late teens to early twenties.
Early Breast Development Caused by Contact with Estrogens: Prevention. Early breast development before age 8 can be caused by estrogens in the environment. Estrogen is a type of hormone.
Any parent would worry if they saw signs of puberty in their toddler. But in reality, premature breast development in little girls is fairly common, with a peak incidence anywhere from 6 months to 2 years of life and the other around the ages of 6-8 years.
When puberty begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys, it is considered precocious puberty. Puberty includes rapid growth of bones and muscles, changes in body shape and size, and development of the body's ability to reproduce.
Even Infants Have Breast Tissue!
In early infancy, they can be prominent because of the effects of the mother's estrogen. As the estrogen levels decrease, so does the prominence.
Breast buds are small disc-shaped rubbery lumps felt under the nipple. They are always normal. Nothing else looks like them.
Pubic hair of infancy is due to transiently elevated androgen levels in the first few months of life and increased sensitivity of sexual hair follicles to androgens. Precocious puberty can be differentiated by the concomitant appearance of pubic hair with breast development in girls or testicular enlargement in boys.
In general, young women have different breast sizes because of differences in families, hormones, and weight. There are no magic creams, special exercises, or clothing that will permanently change the size of your breasts. If your breasts have not started to develop, you may have a hormone imbalance.
No, it's not true. Touching or massaging breasts does not make them grow. There's a lot of wrong information about breast development out there. Some of the things you may hear are outright cons — like special creams or pills that make breasts bigger.
The rate of breast growth and development varies widely and each girl's experience will be unique. On average, the progression from Tanner Stage II to V takes about 4 to 4.5 years. However, it can be as short as 1.5 years or it can take as long as 6 years. A girl's breasts can also grow at different rates.
The development of breasts gets delayed if your diet is poor. The hormones required for the proper development of the body will not be released if the body is deficient in nutrition. The growth of breast get stunted if you are underweight or lack vitamins and minerals.
Children who have recently weaned from breastfeeding will often grab at breasts out of habit. They also do this when they have learned to associate mommy's breasts with self-soothing. And yet another possible explanation is that your toddler is just plain curious or might like the way your breasts feel!
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that mothers breast-feed for the first 12 months and “thereafter for as long as mother and baby desire.” The World Health Organization recommends the practice up to age 2 “or beyond.”
The earliest sign of puberty in most girls is the development of breast "buds," nickel-sized bumps under the nipple. It is not unusual for breast growth to start on one side before the other. It's also common for breast buds to be somewhat tender or sore.
“As soon as the breasts start growing breast buds, small (sometimes very tender) bumps below the nipples, is typically when girls start wearing training bras,” said Dr. Kronborg. “Normally, by the time a girl can fill a B cup is when she'll eventually require a standard bra.”
Buds appear, and breast and nipple are raised. The dark area of skin around the nipple (the areola) gets larger. Breasts are slightly larger, with glandular breast tissue present. The areola and nipple become raised and form a second mound above the rest of the breast.
A girl's breasts start to develop as puberty begins, usually between the ages of 8 and 14. The breasts gradually form mammary glands and fatty tissue during this time—a process that can continue to occur until the age of 18.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization also recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months, with continued breastfeeding along with introducing appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or longer.