Researchers Blame Childhood Obesity, Endocrine Disruptors On Early Puberty, University of Hong Kong Study

Puberty has always been a time associated with awkwardness, bad skin, and biological changes that can be jarring for even the most grounded adolescent. No one has put a lot of thought into how someone as young as 7 years old could handle these changes, but new research suggests we may have to start.

At the turn of the 20th century, the average girl would begin menstruating around the age of 16 or 17. By 2008, that age had fallen to less than 13. But even before a girl gets her first period, there are signs of maturation that signal impending changes, and these come even earlier. A generation ago, less than 5 percent of girls would see these shifts — breast growth, body hair — before the age of eight. Now, that percentage has nearly doubled, according to Newsweek. As if this weren’t shocking enough, some clinicians think this age is still falling. At Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, doctors see fit to begin assessing girls for puberty-related changes at age 6.

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