Between ages 8 and 13, girls typically experience the following: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areola (the pigmented area around the nipple) starts to enlarge. They develop a small amount of genital hair. At this stage, they experience a growth spurt of about 2 3/4 inches per year.
It is normal for production of these hormones to increase (something we call adrenarche) and for pubic hair to appear after age 8 in girls or 9 in boys. The reason why this increase occurs earlier in some children is not known.
Between the ages of 8 and 13, girls typically experience: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areolas (pigmented area around the nipple) enlarge. Scant pubic hair appears. Height increases by about 2¾ inches per year.
It's not uncommon for young children to show certain traits associated with puberty, including some pubic hair, underarm hair and the beginnings of breast development, said Dr. Paul Kaplowitz, who led the American Academy of Pediatrics report.
The cause of precocious puberty often can't be found. Rarely, certain conditions, such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries, may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development.
Although there's no one right age for a girl to get her period, there are some clues that it will start soon. Typically, a girl gets her period about 2 years after her breasts start to develop. Another sign is vaginal discharge fluid (sort of like mucus) that a girl might see or feel on her underwear.
Here is the sequence and time frame of events for an average girl. The girl will also begin her growth spurt about this time. She will notice pubic hair about 6 months later. About 6 months after that (a total of one year after budding) she will be in her peak growth spurt, growing faster that she ever has.
Pubic hair will start growing along the labia and will gradually become thicker, curlier, and cover a larger area of the vulva. In the final stages of puberty, pubic hair may grow around the top of the thighs.
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years. It may begin soft and thin but it will become courser and thicker towards the end of puberty.
“You can take some steps to minimize environmental causes of early puberty,” such as helping your child maintain a healthy weight and avoiding exposure to testosterone or estrogen that could be found in over-the-counter creams/gels, hair treatments, medications, and nutritional supplements.
Premature pubarche, or the development of pubic hair before the age of 8 in girls or 9 in boys, is most commonly caused by premature adrenarche. Adrenarche is the maturation of the adrenal zona reticularis in both boys and girls, resulting in the development of pubic hair, axillary hair, and adult apocrine body odor.
Hair growth – The second sign of puberty is often the appearance of pubic hair. About 10-15 percent of girls will develop pubic hair before the breasts begin to bud. The hair is sparse, straight and soft at first and then becomes darker, curlier and coarser as it fills in.
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.
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.
Growing pubic hair
Soon after her breasts start to form, she'll start developing pubic hair. It will be soft and thin at first and then gradually become coarser. Her first period usually arrives around one to two years after pubic hair starts growing.
Most young people will have their first periods when they're between 11 and 14½, but anywhere from 9-16 years is considered normal. Periods are likely to start soon if your child has: had a major growth spurt. grown some underarm and pubic hair.
Your first menstrual period is called menarche. It usually happens around age 12. But it may start earlier or later. Your period is a part of your menstrual cycle.
Let people in the family know, and celebrate in small ways that make her happy. You can gift her a period kit, take her on a fun trip to the sanitary pad aisle of a store and familiarise her with the products, watch a movie, throw her a small party or even something as simple as a hug will do.
Your first period should last anywhere from 2 to 7 days. It may be very light, with just a few spots of brownish blood. Or it may start and end more brownish, but be brighter red on heavier flow days.
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.
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.
Some research suggests that early puberty might compound the problems associated with early adversity to boost the risk of depression and other mental health problems even higher. "These risk factors may be additive," Graber says.