Puberty: Too Much, Too Soon? (Women's Health Matters article) (Web resource; WHM resource) Author: Heather Munroe Organization: Women's College Hospital, Women's Health Matters Anyone under 25 years old does not know what it is like to live in a time when children have not been sexualized, noted Dr. Marcia Herman-Giddens of the University of North Carolina in her introduction to the topic of childhood sexualization and early puberty at the 2002 Women’s Health Matters Forum & Expo in Toronto. The sexualization of children According to Herman-Giddens, the sexualization of children in the media is ‘a phenomenon that goes hand in hand with the actual earlier physical development of children, especially girls. The sexualization of children began in the late 1970s. You began to see children made up, dressed and posed in a sort of sexual way.’ When children in the '50s and '60s looked for role models, they saw 11-year-old girls portrayed as little girls. They were not depicted as sexual targets as they are now and there was no doubt that the girl was NOT going to be viewed as sexual material. The evidence for early puberty In a study looking at over 17,000 girls in the U.S., Herman-Giddens and her colleagues found that girls, on average, are entering puberty earlier than they did 30-50 years ago. Herman-Giddens defined the onset of puberty as the beginning of breast growth and/or pubic hair growth. If a little girl is beginning to grow breasts or grow pubic hair, then for her, her family, and her friends, she has entered puberty. The onset of puberty should also be distinguished from a girl’s first period, as they are not the same. The chart below shows the average age girls now experience the following pubertal changes: Pubertal Change Caucasian Girls African American Girls Pubic Hair Growth 9 years, 11 months 8 years, 1 month First Menstrual Period 12 years, 11 months 12 years, 2 months The study also found: 6 percent of African American girls and 2 percent of Caucasian girls in kindergarten were already showing signs of breast development and/or pubic hair growth 27 percent of African American girls and almost 7 percent of Caucasian girls in the second grade were showing signs of puberty 77 percent of African American girls and almost 40 percent of Caucasian girls in the fourth grade were showing signs of puberty Caucasian girls appear to be developing 6–12 months earlier than they did 30-40 years ago African American girls develop a year to a year and a half earlier than Caucasian girls the onset of menses has been the same for the past 45 years for Caucasian girls but has dropped by about four months for African American girls even at age 3 a small proportion of girls are showing signs of puberty What is causing early puberty? There are many theories about the causes of early puberty. Herman-Giddens noted that all of these factors require far more research and may or may not be valid. However, here are some possibilities: Obesity Girls who are overweight will, on average, begin puberty earlier. Over the last 30 years, the proportion of overweight girls aged 6-11 has more than doubled. This factor alone will account for much of the earlier puberty phenomenon. Heredity A girl is more likely to start puberty early if her mother or other female relatives did. Environmental estrogens (endocrine disruptors) These chemicals have hormone-like effects on the body. They are found in many products such as plastics, insecticides, pesticides, nail polish, makeup and lotion. Infant formula There is some concern that infant formula may be involved in contributing to early puberty, but very little data exists. Household males Girls growing up in households without their fathers, on average, will begin puberty early. Puberty is even earlier if an unrelated male comes into the house. In other words, a household with a mother who remarries or has a live in boyfriend may trigger early puberty in the daughter. This is also a factor that is more prevalent now than it was 30-50 years ago. Birth weight Some studies show that girls who are born small for their age, not necessarily premature, but who weigh less than they should for their length of gestation, tend to start their periods earlier than girls born of normal weight. Diet Higher fat diets, dairy products with added hormones, low fibre diets, or high meat diets with low intake of fruits and vegetables, may each contribute to earlier puberty in some way. Parent stress Earlier puberty tends to occur in homes where the mothers have a lot of stress. Sexualized environments Children are constantly exposed to sexual stimuli. This potentially serious factor should not be dismissed until more research is done. ‘This is like a terrible experiment being played out on our children and we don't know where it’s going,’ said Herman-Giddens. ‘We've got the interplay of foods, the change in diets, fast food, obesity, all the chemicals in the environment, all the sexualization. Two generations ago, none of this existed.’ Why does early puberty matter? Early menarche (first period) generally leads to earlier sexual activity, said Herman-Giddens. She explained that early sexual intercourse is associated with other problems in adolescence including poor school performance, health risk behaviours and gang membership. Early puberty has also been associated with earlier drinking and smoking. Because girls who develop early generally look older than they are, they tend to get involved with an older crowd. Self-consciousness about their appearance can also lead to emotional or body image problems. There are also known health risks for earlier puberty, such as an increased risk of breast cancer. And early puberty may be an important public health indicator of what is going on in our environment. Lastly, the increasing earlier age of puberty is blurring the boundaries about when it is appropriate for others to view young girls in a sexual way. Young girls are beginning to lose this protection. Children need to be children, said Herman-Giddens, at least longer than 6-7 years of age! More research needed Herman-Giddens stressed that more research in this area is vital. The government needs to be documenting these trends -- studying the age of onset of female puberty as well as menses. More research is also needed in associated areas, specifically: endocrine disruptors hormones in food the development of boys the psychosocial effects of early puberty peri-pubertal sexual behaviour the effects of the constant exposure to sexual materials Research is also needed to follow the early developers and see what kinds of health effects they experience. Schools need to address the early onset of puberty Our schools also need to address these issues, said Herman-Giddens. Teachers need to be aware of the data on puberty and the impact it may have on the average age at which children become sexually active. Herman-Giddens believes that sex education needs to be introduced earlier. Children also need to be taught about the wide range in ages for puberty onset. Early developers are often teased. More information about the wide range for what is normal could minimize the teasing. Lastly, Herman-Giddens believes we need to teach media literacy to children to help them sort through the sexualizing messages they receive. And we need to encourage advertisers to be more responsible in the role models they present to children. Editor’s Note: Written by Heather Munroe. Coverage of a session at the 2002 Women's Health Matters Forum & Expo. Related Resources: More coverage of the 2002 Women’s Health Matters Forum & Expo can be found here. Purpose:  Consumer information/support; Health information Information Source:  Hospital/Clinic Geographic Origin:  Canada Language of Resource:  English Groups:  Teenagers Last Reviewed by Women's Health Matters:  May 16, 2007