Puberty Before Age 10: A New ‘Normal’?

reply to post by abecedarian

I could mention that until rather recently children were wed well below the current definition of adult, so, was pre/early-teen pairing (marriage) part of the human evolutionary process only to removed by (wildly variant religious) concepts of ethics and morality?

Yes 12 was, and still is in some parts of the world, the age at which a 'child' can be married, but that does not make it right nor does it confer the understanding of the situation or infer consent.

Ok, I'm scratching my head a little here but I'll try my best to be polite.

Don't we already KNOW that a significant factor in this is the phytoestrogens in SOY products?

3. Chuck the soy products as even organic soy acts as a plant-estrogen that interferes with the body’s natural hormones. ... Soy formula should absolutely be avoided for babies.

From: www.holistickid.com...

Meat, animal protein, and soymilk (soya milk) can affect premature breast development in girls.

From: nutritionfacts.org

More research should be done on soy isoflavones before feeding soy infant formulas to babies.

From: www.lehigh.edu...

Preliminary studies are indicating that children given soy formula go through puberty much earlier than children who were not fed soy products.

From: reliableanswers.com...

Just sayin'

I don't have much to comment on as far as replies in this thread, but I do have my own experiences to share. At the time, I don't think I found this odd (although I don't really remember my thoughts at the an elementary school age), but now that I think about it, my childhood was not the same as the other girls around me.

I started puberty around... age seven, I would say. I got my first period just before I turned nine, when I was entering the fourth grade. I was absent from school much more than normal, because I had a particularly had time with menstrual cramps. The other girls didn't.

I'd think that a lot of chemicals in the environment, toys I played with, or products I handled probably contributed to this, as it certainly isn't something that runs in my family. My mother, and all three of her sisters, were 'late bloomers' when it came to puberty/menstruation. I wasn't exposed to very many soy products, either (I find them gross!), so that can't be it.

I hate that this is a normal thing for children now because it's not fun to go through! I imagine puberty is a much easier experience when the people you're familiar with are actually going through it, too, instead of years after you.

Growth hormones in our meat. I was pretty sure they said years ago that it could cause earlier maturation?

Hi PM
SandF
the FDA just left BPA to continue in the market place

“While evidence from some studies have raised questions as to whether BPA may be associated with a variety of health effects, there remain serious questions about these studies, particularly as they relate to humans,” the agency said.

The FDA still maintains that there is “some concern” about the effect of BPA on children, and the government is spending $30 million to study the chemical’s effect on humans.

www.forbes.com...

BPA changes hormones that control puberty, ovulation.
More evidence from lab rat studies shows the plastic compound bisphenol A can permanently affect reproductive hormones, resulting in early puberty and odd ovulation patterns.


Hormones vital for controlling reproduction were permanently changed in female rats exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) early in life, reports a recent study from Argentina.

The study is the first to find long lasting hormonal changes when exposure occurs after birth, during critical times of development. Past studies have found similar effects when exposures occur before birth, during prenatal development.

The findings show again that BPA can affect fertility in mammals. Of the two levels tested in this study, the higher dose had lasting negative effects on the signaling hormones that control female reproductive cycles through life. This dose is slightly above what US federal agencies consider as a reference -- or a safe -- dose for humans.

www.environmentalhealthnews.org...

The environmental effects of these chemicals has been well-established: pseudo-hermaphrodite polar bears with penis-like stumps, panthers with atrophied testicles, _hermaphroditic deformities in frogs, and male trout with eggs growing in their testes have all been documented as the probable result of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment. Many scientists believe that wildlife provides early warnings of effects produced by endocrine disruptors, which may as yet be unobserved in humans.

www.mdpestnet.org...

Right guess the scientists who say "yet to be seen in humans" haven't been bra shopping at Wallmart.

Estrogen's may be in drinking water.
www.environmentalhealthnews.org...

This may be another reason to start using sewage to make oil along with trash instead of recycling them back into the environment

Some research cited in the report suggests that animal manure accounts for 90 percent of estrogen's in the environment.
ts-si.org...
This source can also be used as feed stock for the Fischer–Tropsch process and be converted to gasoline and diesel fuel

Originally posted by PuterMan

We know that girls who develop ahead of their peers tend to have lower self-esteem, more depression and more eating disorders. They start drinking and lose their virginity sooner. They have more sexual partners and more sexually transmitted diseases. “You can almost predict it” — that early maturing teenagers will take part in more high-risk behaviors, says Tonya Chaffee, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco

I had to pipe in here just for this. I began puberty around 7.5 and had my first period at 9 (back in the mid to late 90s). I remember one day that you could see my bra through my shirt, and all the girls were laughing at me. Definitely not a fun memory. I've struggled through the years with how fast my body developed (especially my breasts - I was a 36C by age 14), but I didn't end up being the type of girl that quote is talking about. I never went out and partied, I have never been lose with my morals or sexuality, and I have never had an eating disorder. I've struggled with depression for years now, but I would not solely pin it on my early development. The difference for me might be the fact that I had a pretty good home life, and my mom more than tried to help me in any way she could.

I don't know what it was with me, but it would not surprise me to know that early physical development is tied to the chemicals that mimic hormones. They seem to be in everything, so it has to be impossible for our bodies to properly process all of them. I also would believe that there is a certain mental/psychological aspect to this as well. While marriages take place later in life in Western societies, there still is a sexual overtone to a lot of our entertainment, and most of our society in general. Maybe the increased hormones, plus the visual images on nearly every street corner, are what is the cause.

what about the boys?

Ok, I have a daughter and she just turned six, she is as innocent as can be and extremely smart for her age.

I would be sick if she were to lose that innocents to early, but the girls aren't the real problem here.

It's the boys being exposed to this stuff.

Have you noticed how many of the teenagers and young boys are not growing up to be the men many of us were raised to be? The so called EMO society. really? I can't even tell whether half the teens today are men or women?

Fact is these teens and young boys have so much estrogen running through their bodies and combined with lower testosterone (for a teen boy that is) you have the making of a teen who runs into identity problems.

Yes parent raising and lack of fathers have something to do with it, but if this stuff if causing so much harm in boys and young girls, then what would it be doing to the boys and young men?

Is there a conspiracy, yes I thing there is, and the conspiracy isn't against girls, but instead to make the male population weaker, and this is the best way to do so,

reply to post by tw0330



IMO, this is a limited culture. Most guys in high school I saw or knew weren't feminine, or emo in anyway. But it's probably less likely that estrogens would affect this in males as the testosterone should be in such higher quantities that little difference is made.

I suspect growth hormones in our poultry, cattle and sheep.

Also radiation?

Lastly - I stated at ten. My grand daughter is following suit. Some family lines start early.

My mother was still having regular periods (had me at 43) when she died at 52 of cancer.

Five is really way too young..........ten is quite young, before ten and I wonder.

The site below is excellent if you parents are need a little help talking to your kids about changes occurring with their bodies.

Most girls start to menstruate between ages 10 and 15 years. The average age is 12, but every girl's body has its own schedule.

Although there's no one right age for a girl to get her period, there are some clues that menstruation 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. This discharge usually begins about 6 months to a year before a girl gets her first period.

Source; kidshealth.org...#".

Again, I think it's growth hormones and genetically modified foods - they are now talking about genetically modified honey bees1111

The honey bees around us are perfectly fine thank you...........leave em alone Monsanto.

We've poisoned our air, land, seas, rivers - very little of our planet has now been left untouched by the technological hand of man.

Possibly this is one of the results.

Or nature is trying out something new, a evolutionary change?

The New Normal? I sure hope not, as I agree that children should be able to be children.

The possible causes listed in this thread:

Growth hormones in meat
BPA
Hormones and other drugs in the water
Soy products
Stress
Society

Also there is rBST in milk; it can not be good for us or our children. However, most of the milk I see now is rBST free.

What is recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH)?
Recombinant bovine growth hormone (also known as rBGH or rBST) is a genetically engineered drug produced by the Monsanto Corporation. It is injected into dairy cows to induce them to increase milk production, typically by 5-15%. It's estimated that 15-20% of the cows in the United States are injected with this hormone. It was approved by the FDA in 1993.

Why should we be concerned about rBGH / rBST? Increased cancer risk: When rBST is injected into a cow, it elevates levels of another powerful growth hormone, IGF-1, which is present in both cows and humans. IGF-1 is a necessary hormone, but in excessive amounts, it has been linked in hundreds of studies to an increase in breast, prostate, colon, lung and other cancers in humans.

rBST

Most of our milk in the U.S. is now rBST free, because consumers quit buying milk that contained rBST. That is how things change, at least here in the U.S. The government will not change things, but consumers can, by refusing to buy things that contain harmful drugs and chemicals. However, it is hard to avoid some things, and the drinking water in not filtered for drugs, at least not in most places.

It seems that our children are literally being bombarded by things that can cause early puberty. I think that the food we used to eat was not full of additives and drugs. In the past, one purchased meat from the local butcher shop and dairy products from local farms. Now, when I look at the ingredients of things at the store, many things have twenty or more ingredients, when they should only have a few.

I do not think many people realize the long term implications of all of these things, or they just do not care. Here (U.S.), it just turns into a political argument, with people choosing sides, and no one bothers with facts anymore. Just like everything else. Not sure if it is like that in Ireland, or in other places.

We should do something to protect our children. And what are we doing to our planet?

As a society we should be able to do something about both aspects of this problem. Those of you who are as ancient as me will remember that girls did not really start maturing until around 13 or later, and boys as late as 15 or 16.

Exceptionally early puberty is still rare. Puberty is different for all of us, while mine started at 13 I have friends who started at 8 and 9. I am loathe to blame external influences for this other than genetic disposition. They also by their own admission were having sex at 9 and 10 whilst I managed to contain myself until a rather respectable 16 and a half. Same country, same food, raised on the same pop, filled with the same vaccines / antibiotics, no different to anyone else of my own age group.

Do I think kids should be humping each other?. No of course not. In an ideal world we can shield our little darlings from growing up too soon...But we will always fail because Mother nature programmed us to be rampant little hormonally drunken breeders from the second we could bleed.....Unfortunately Mother Nature hasn't yet gotten the memo that we are no longer knackered and in our grave by 35.

reply to post by Suspiria

Unfortunately Mother Nature hasn't yet gotten the memo that we are no longer knackered and in our grave by 35.

I rather like that. Mm, not in the grave but possibly knackered!

reply to post by PuterMan


this is all from memory so no links

back in the 90's this became a very noticeable problem in PR
hormones [estrogen] in cheap chicken was [said to be] the culprit, Tyson foods was implicated
if i remember correctly this was caused by feed designed to accelerate chicken growth
feed was banned.

possibly related
when you buy chicken or meat check for its grade
A, B, or C [C= not fit for human consumption]
oh wait, sorry, those grades disappeared shortly after the Tyson Scandal [bribes]
a very close friend of slick willie AKA as baron Prick

much of the frozen chicken in those 5 lb boxes ,usually on special [3 for $5] would have actually been classified as grade C
but since the grading system is no longer in use...

reply to post by PuterMan



Big companies make more money...

ok?

from early puberty.ok?

Early puberty means more money spent for tampons and razors/shavers.ok?


more and more money the sooner they start...more money for bra's,sexy clothes,tights,stockings...condoms,birth control...drugs doctors ,clinics...

innocent childhiood be damned.

do you watch kids programs?

have you ever stood outside a school?

why are they all dressed like industrial prostitutes?

it all about money money,money.


everyone's a winner.

reply to post by PuterMan


Ehh, I hit puberty by the age of like 7-8. By the time I was eleven, I was already 5'10-5'11ish(thankfully I stoped at 6'01ft).

But still though, this doesn't sound good.

From wikipedia:

The average age at which the onset of puberty occurs has dropped significantly since the 1840s.[58][59][60] In

Norway, girls born in 1840 had their menarche at an average age of 17 years. In France, the average in 1840 was 15.3 years. In England, the average in 1840 was 16.5 years. In Japan the decline happened later and was then more rapid: from 1945 to 1975 in Japan there was a drop of 11 months per decade.

A 2006 study in Denmark found that puberty, as evidenced by breast development, started at an average age of 9 years and 10 months, a year earlier than when a similar study was done in 1991.

Scientists believe the phenomenon could be linked to obesity or exposure to chemicals in the food chain, and is putting girls at greater long-term risk of breast cancer.

en.wikipedia.org...