[Read]...When girls become women prematurely

Puberty is an inevitable result of a child’s development, and it is a landmark that heralds the transition from childhood to adolescence. Scientists say these biological changes start when the pituitary gland in the brain triggers the production of sex hormones, with virtually predictable pattern.

Physicians note that puberty usually begins for girls before boys. For most girls, they say, puberty begins around age 11, while for boys, it starts from between age10 and 14. The average age for both sexes, they say, is 12.

In the case of female kids, it is heralded by the sprouting of breasts — one at a time; for the boys, parents may begin to notice certain changes to the genital area, especially an increase in testicle size.

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“About a year later, the penis and scrotum start to grow and semen can be released during an erection when he is awake or when he is asleep,” the online portal, webmd.com says.

General Practitioner, Dr. John Anyaegbuna, says at this stage, the developing girl or boy begins to grow body hair, which gets thicker as the growth progresses.

“For both boys and girls, new hair will start growing in the armpits and pubic area around the genitals. Arm and leg hair gets thicker. Boys also may start developing chest and facial hair,” Anyaegbuna notes.

Experts note that sometimes, puberty begins earlier, say at age seven or nine. “When this happens, it is medically referred to as precocious puberty, and it seems to happen more regularly these days, particularly among girls. Indeed, precocious puberty is about 10 times more common in girls than in boys,” Anyaegbuna says.

Many parents of girl-children — especially mothers — confess that they wait with bated breath as their girls transit from one stage of growth to the other. They are more particular about knowing each stage in order to properly educate their children about the implications of what’s going on in their bodies and thus prevent sexual problems that may want to crop up.

But then, why are girls reaching puberty earlier these days?

Experts have the answers. Researchers suggest that exposure to chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls and phthalates could lead to hormone disruption. PCBs were once used as coolants and flame retardants; while phthalates are added to plastic products to make them more flexible.

One study that followed 600 pregnant women and their children found that girls who were exposed to high levels of PCBs in the womb attained puberty sooner than girls who didn’t have such exposure.

Experts also say being fed soy formula as babies can speed puberty in girls. They say this is because soy contains natural plant compounds called isoflavones, which can act like oestrogen in the body. Oestrogen controls female sexual development, promotes the growth of female secondary sexual characteristics at puberty, stimulates egg (ovum) production, and prepares the lining of the uterus for pregnancy.

Another reason which researchers adduce for early puberty is obesity. An expert in early puberty at the Medical Research Council, Prof. Richard Sharpe, relates that when a child’s fat tissue level reaches a certain point, a hormone signal is sent to the brain instructing puberty to commence.

Again, a professor of paediatric endocrinology at Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Emily Walvoord, notes that early puberty is one of the many outcomes of obesity.

Scientists confirm that several studies have shown an association between childhood obesity and early puberty in girls. They note that the fat tissue has the ability to convert other hormones into oestrogen, which they believe may lead to early breast development. “Fat also creates the hormone leptin, which is necessary for the onset of puberty,” they say.

What are the possible effects of early puberty, especially for girls?

Gynaecologists say children with early puberty are at a risk for accelerated skeletal maturation and short adult height. This, according to Dr. Goke Adefemi, is because girls who begin puberty sooner than normal experience an early growth spurt and are taller than their peers at first.

“But because their bones stop growing after puberty, they never reach their full height potential,” he warns.

Sociologists also express concern that when puberty debuts earlier than normal, childhood stage is shortened. They lament that girls who mature earlier tend to land in social situations they are not psychologically prepared to handle. They say early puberty makes girls to make early sexual debut, while they are also likely to experience sexual abuse, as well as psychological and social difficulties, including negative body image and depression.

Oncologists say altered puberty timing is also of concern for the development of reproductive tract cancers later in life. Consultant Oncologist/Head of Radiotherapy Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Remi Ajekigbe, at an earlier interview, says an early age of onset of menstruation is a risk factor for breast cancer later in life. For boys, early puberty is associated with an increased risk for testicular cancer.

A researcher with the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, Dr. Anders Juul, warns that if girls mature early, they run into teenage problems at an early age and they’re more prone to diseases later on.

“We should be worried about this, regardless of what we think the underlying reasons might be. It’s a clear sign that something is affecting our children; whether it’s junk food, environmental chemicals or lack of physical activity,” Juul declares.

The experts advocate placing children on healthy diet right from birth, and not after the deed may have been done.

- Solaade Ayo-Aderele 

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