Week 6: Early Development of puberty

This week article "Teens Before Their Time"  got me thinking about a lot and I found myself comparing my decent into puberty with that of my daughters and nieces.  I must say I really didn't need to read the article to notice there are definite  differences between the two.

I remember when I was in fifth grade there was a girl who started her period and the whole class new about it.  We were in awe, at least the girls were.  The whole idea of beginning puberty at ten or eleven years old was absolutely mystifying to me.

As I have gotten older I have noticed this has become more and more common and seems to be more the norm.  Some of the theories described in the article contributing to the earlier development in girls are;

Obesity-  According to the textbook one in seven children are considered obese when determined by Body Mass Index.  In the article "Teens Before Their Time"  it states that obesity is linked with an increased production of insulin which increases stimulation of sex hormones from the ovaries and adrenal gland.

Pesticides-  Chemical pollution and broken-down pesticides such as DDE and PCBS have been shown to mimic hormones that play a role in the development of the human reproductive system.  These chemicals can build up in our bodies and be passed on through breast-milk.

Hormones-  Some theorize that hormones found in milk, meat and eggs and other chemicals such as Pcss and nnE may have significant long-term effects on development.

Media-  Some believe that sexualized messages may be jump-starting our brains and sexual development.  Some doctors and researchers believe that being exposed to sexual media may have a physiological effect on the early development of puberty.


I would like to see more extensive studies done on the reasons our children are reaching puberty at an earlier age.  As the article "Teens Before Their Time"  states, there aren't many studies done on girls of different ethnic groups. In my opinion,  there need to be more studies done which include all of the above possible contributing factors as well as including a range of different ethnic groups in order to see a bigger picture.

 My mom says girls develop sooner now because they have better nutrition and more food.  Coming from a used to be scrawny victim of war who ate lard and who's sister was sent to another country for a period of time to live with a family who could feed her, I can see her point of view.  On the other hand, I have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there's a lot more to it than that.

As it stands, I think we need to continue to educate ourselves about what we are putting into our and our children's bodies.  Reading labels, buying organic, making good food choices, etc. are  all all things we can do to promote good health right now.  Awareness of what our children are exposed to and offering alternate choices can help children with obesity and maybe curb some of the early puberty issues we are facing today.