The causes of early puberty

At one point, sexual and emotional development both occurred at adolescence as boys and girls entered their teen years. But you might have noticed that over the past few years, girls and boys are hitting puberty quite earlier, than we did as their parents. There are instances where boys and girls in the U.S., Europe and China are beginning to show signs of early puberty as young as six and seven.  This become a cause for concern, with more children around the world experiencing body changes early on in life. There is still much to be learned about what causes the onset of puberty but this much is known: the more we expose our children to the so-called comforts of our modern lifestyle, the more we may be leaving them open to long term physical and emotional problems.

Early puberty

While puberty means the the body is becoming fully suited for reproduction, it doesn’t mean that emotional development is equally advanced. What happens when a child as young as six has a sexually developed body long before their minds are able to comprehend what is happening? This can be dangerous, as it can leave children more susceptible to sexual abuse and can lead them to experiment and, for girls, even become pregnant at extremely young ages.

But what is behind this drastic change?

It still remains a mystery why children are experiencing such changes at such an alarming rate. Scientists and doctors are puzzled by the sudden changes and continue to investigate the causes.  The answer is not clear cut but there are a couple of factors related to modern life which might hold a clue.

Childhood obesity is to blame?

One of the reasons that has been cited for the sudden changes include our lifestyle. The sedentary lifestyle practised by many children today leaves them vulnerable to gaining weight, which in turn leads to the onset of puberty at an earlier age. Neurotransmitters, which control the reproductive system are also linked to appetite, therefore it is not surprising that there would be a connection between obesity and the onset of puberty.

Exposure to a host of chemicals

Everything from plastic baby bottles to food wrappers can contain some level of harmful chemicals which can cause a variety of physiological problems, including triggering early puberty.  Even some supposedly user-friendly herbal products can have damaging effects in pre-pubescent children.