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The Pre-teen Girl Mystery
Girls have been hitting puberty earlier and earlier since the 1950s, but new research shows the trend suddenly speeding up—and a chemical found in everyday items may be the culprit.
The concept of accelerated aging usually resides in the realm of science fiction, wrinkles in time, and five-year-old beauty queens. But growing up at warp speed is actually happening. Kids have been hitting puberty earlier and earlier since at least the 1950s—and new research shows that in the past two decades, the pace of this trend has picked up dramatically.
According to a study conducted by researcher Dr. Lisa Aksglaede and other scientists in Copenhagen and published in this month’s Pediatrics, girls are now developing breasts a full year earlier than they did in the early ‘90s. The researchers compared studies of the physical development of two groups of girls, the first group in 1991/1993 and the second group in 2006/2008. In the 1991/1993 studies, girls started breast development just shy of 12 years old. By 2006/2008, girls had reached that same level of physical development just before age 11. The more recent group’s menstrual periods also started at a younger age—about three months earlier than those of the girls in the ‘90s. Earlier physical development isn’t new—in the U.S., the onset of breast development for young white females is happening a year earlier than in the age of June Cleaver—but scientists are alarmed that the pattern appears to be speeding up.
“We are talking about girls who have not learned to make change for a dollar. They have limited knowledge and judgment, but they look older, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation.”
Why is this happening? Is it the hormones in our milk? The extra calories we consume? The chemicals in our environment? All of the above?
For years, the problem was chiefly attributed to our increasingly sedentary and junk-food-oriented habits, and that’s likely still part of it. “The changes in lifestyle in the past 50 years are incredible. The lack of physical activity and all the new kinds of junk foods are having an effect,” says Dr. Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, the principal investigator of the 1997 landmark study that was the first body of research to establish that puberty was happening earlier.
But body mass index doesn’t explain the Copenhagen study, in which researchers found that puberty did not discriminate by pants size—heavier and lighter girls are both developing breasts earlier.
“The chubbiness factor is not the whole story,” says Dr. Sandra Steingraber, author of “The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls,” a 2007 report commissioned by The Breast Cancer Fund. (There’s a well-established link between the early onset of puberty and the risk for breast cancer.) That report, which synthesized the scientific literature about the early onset of puberty, flags environmental chemicals, especially those found in plastics (called plasticizers), as a major cause. “We know we can accelerate the puberty rate of rats with plasticizers and certain pesticides,” says Steingraber, who is also an expert on the environmental links to cancer and reproductive health.
And increasingly, one particular plasticizer is being zeroed in on as Public Enemy No. 1: bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in food and beverage containers, including baby bottles and children’s sippy cups.
The National Research Center for Women & Families, a nonprofit that promotes the health and safety of families, is working on getting BPA out of such containers because it mimics estrogen, the growth hormone that flips puberty’s “on” switch. A report from the California Breast Cancer Research Program found that BPA developed as a synthetic estrogen, and the science is solid enough that a grassroots campaign to ban BPA is becoming a groundswell. Two weeks ago, Chicago became the first U.S. city to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. Minnesota also passed legislation this month that will ban the chemical by the end of this year. Various other states and municipalities are considering similar measures. “The only question is how much this chemical contributes to puberty, not if,” says Diana Zuckerman, the president of the National Research Center for Women & Families. “It’s an extremely likely explanation.”
Which prompts the obvious question: Why, in this age of knowing all we do about organic choices and the dangers of added chemicals, do we still have toxins like this in our baby bottles?
One reason is that the laws regarding toxic substances are governed by the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which many experts say is in desperate need of an overhaul to require more regulation and testing of chemicals. To that point, Steingraber says she thinks the European’s Union’s "green" chemistry initiatives would be a good blueprint for the U.S. to follow. “We should be detoxifying our environment as a health precaution,” she says.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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this has been going on since longer ago than the fifties because i had a history teacher tell me about this in 1972 and he was interested in the data contrasting the nineteenth and the twentieth century.. victorian girls were often not bleediing at eighteen is the idea i got..
i have been reading about turtles and visiting some daily.. the authorities suggest that turtles display no maternal instinct.. but turtle society looks pretty democratic and happy to me.. squirrels are doting mothers.. squirrels are mean..
nature,as a rule, is gonna wanna make more babies out of the baby just as soon as the baby gets fed up and hale.. out of our strange history we have fabricated the current wisdom that it's all right to sin if you are an adult.. it's pretty unsatisfactory.. bettter than it was maybe but pretty unsatisfactory
a while back they reported that plastic degrades into estrogen.. maybe that was discredited and i didn't hear.. but if this phenomena relates to some toxicity i'd bet on plastic
What?
um, this is quite the rambling comment.
Huh??
I was born in 1976 and got my period and fuller breasts when I was freaking 9 years old. Acne set in months later. A few years ago I figured that something had to have gone haywire in my body. Right now I do my best to make sure my hormones stay in check and will do the same if I have daughters - I do not want them to go through what I went through.
I was born in 1957 and got my first period 1 month after my 9th birthday. Made all of those movies we had to watch in 5th grade kinda irrelevant since by that time I'd been having a period for a over year.
Hmmm....the '50s you say? Isn't that about the time that the baby food companies started selling baby fast food? When the formula companies convinced women that chemically filled, cow's milk based formula is BETTER than breast milk? Is this early puberty occurring in the countries that still encourage breast feeding?
Can't provide any science, but I was bottle fed and began menstruating at 15-plus. My daughter was breast fed and menstruated at 12-plus. An "n" of two does not a research study make, and there will always be exceptions that prove nothing. Just throwing this in.
I've read, often, that "late" menses is a marker for endocrine problems (e.g. Estrogen Dominance, Hypothyroidism) and for GI disorders like Pyroluria.
I wish they would decide WHEN a girl can start her period and then tell us, once and for all.
I can only guess from the facts you present, that we are roughly the same age. As a child of the fifties I too was bottle fed and also began to menstruate at 15. But the bottles were still made out of GLASS, then weren't they?
Not to ramble like quinwithey, but my mother called it 'the curse' and I certainly agree. I pity any girl that has to deal with it from the age of NINE!
quin: the article was all about plasticizers being the culprit. did you read it?
turtles and squirrels? sinning? RU writing from a room that has padding on the walls right now?
just curious.
My thoughts exactly.
I was born in the 1950's and started puberty at age 10. I remember it as quite scary and was one of 3 girls in my 5th grade class with breasts and monthly periods. I have a young daughter with friends as young a 8 with breasts and girls starting periods at aged 9. That is an awful lot to put on a young person -- and the hormonal trials and tribulations of estrogen infusions are also very tough on these young kids.
my mind wanders in the comment box.. a little padding here and there.. no i don't read very close any more.. i get to thinking about the isabella rosellini.. i forget where i am.. i look out the window.. i see turtles and squirrels.. you are much more cogent and alert.. thank god for you.. but truly ii was distracted by the stange hysterical quote about girls not being able to make change.. that was what the article was about to me
Your reply is beautiful and made me laugh! Your mind is just perhaps more playful than most minds.
Yes, the quote about girls "not being able to make change" was a good one in the context of this discussion.
As the mother of a son, I would be interested in how these plastics affect male development. My guess is that there are detrimental affects on both genders, and the earlier onset of puberty in girls is just one of the more obvious and measurable ones.
Low sperm counts, I think, but can't provide any citations. Might be worth a look.
In our town, some of the more famous campaigners turned out to protest a playing field going in at an elementary school. One of the leaders was renowned as a Feminist who used to be a bikini model for Sports Elevated. The trouble was astroturf derivatives which, although cheaper in school maintenance, mean a low sperm count in boy children eventually, by some usually unrealiable reports.
Good answer. People get pretty serious in these comment sections, or else turn "Star Trek" comments into anti-Obama rants (or vice versa). The "making change" thing was the most striking thought to me as well.
Can anyone make change for a dollar, anymore? You know, when you start with the ammount owing, then count while handing the money over. As in, "That's six-twenty-nine, thirty, forty, fifty, seventy-five, seven, either, nine and ten."
Now the clerk stands there waiting for the total to come up. Or, stands idly while we stand idly while the machine "does" the credit card transaction. "Have a nice day."
OK, I am a fan of you. I agree with you totally.
The reason we do not dredge the depths, or slog onshore, is because at some point for some purpose, something dreams. A cell dividing or combining makes an error, is errant in delivery to the egg, is mistaken in conception, breathes air, or flies above it, or thinks when the penguin be on traditional approaches to everyday questions icily plodding in nodding chorus - of turtles. It is delightful to see you.
My daughter started developing breast buds at the age of six. She was diagnosed with precocious puberty and put on a monthly injection of Lupron to halt the process. Rounds of tests were performed but no obvious cause was found. I'm not sure if plastics in sippy cups caused the problem, but she was breast fed and wasn't much of a milk drinker, so I resist that possible cause. She also was a very skinny kid, so body fat had nothing to do with it. We finally let her got through puberty at age 12, but she is quite short in comparison to her peers and me.
its a trend. Not a be all end all for everyone. Sounds like something more genetic in your child... nature over nurture so to speak.
I empathize. My daughter went thru the same thing (breast buds at age six), diagnosed with precocious puberty and put on a monthly injections of Lupron to delay the process. The injections were hard on her (my then 38 year-old sister-in-law had to take the same injections for fibroid tumors and personally attested to how hard they were on her and couldn't believe they would give the same injection to a child). My child begged to stop taking them, said puberty couldn't be as bad as the shots, so after about a year or so we stopped having her take the shots (she got her period at age 10) but I got my period at 11 so it may not be attributed soley to food additives.
"We are talking about girls who have not learned to make change for a dollar."
Excuse me???
If a ten-year-old girl doesn't know how to make change for a dollar, early puberty is the LEAST of my worries for her...
I know people born in the fifties who hit puberty at age nine. Fewer of them, though. Used glass bottles back then too.
Hhhhmmmm......
I know what I see, being in retail, is that kids are definitely getting bigger, and they don't appear to be as athletic or as interested in sport.
I don't think you can blame kids about the change as much, since most of them appear to be using a debit card, and the ones who don't seem to have very little problem counting change. I find it is the older kids working in stores, who have problems counting change, but I think it needs to be taught to them better than it is being taught.
what "kids" do you see with a debit card??
Lots. More with than without. Just go to a store kids shop in and you will see what I mean.
Why are parents finding talking about sex so weird? We live in a highly sexualized culture; our kids are surrounded by it.
I can assure you parents: you may be shy about this subject, but your kids are not. They are talking to each other about it, full of misinformation. Step up to the plate!
Amen to that. It always mystifies me when I read or hear of this. Yoo-hoo! You do not have "The Talk." It's an ongoing conversation. This suggests that parents and kids are in fact not close, don't share information easily, let alone feelings.
Moreover, if we respected kids when they are small, they would respect themselves when they are big. When a baby stiffens as you start to hand it off to Auntie Charlotte, Don't Give the Baby to Auntie Charlotte!
No one has to be told not to let people touch them if they have not been intruded upon from the start. If a person is aware of feelings (which means they have to have been respected - none of that "You're not hurt," or "Where's your pretty smile?" or "Go tell your mother."), s/he is aware of distress when someone behaves inappropriately.
And to the degree a young person likes the inappropriateness, that person has been neglected or used.
You are exactly right, doc.
I've never had "the talk" with my 12 year old girl...we have been having age-appropriate conversations ever since she was little. I'm confident that she is empowered with the right information, has healthy body issues and high self-esteem....and I'll continue having those age-appropriate conversations.
I don't think the problem is that girls are reaching puberty sooner. The problem is that we live in a society of molesters. Yes I said it. Brittany Spears, Miley Cyrus. We sexualize children and make it glamorous that children act like adults. It's sick really. It's a status symbol for old geezers to date and marry young girls. Then we wonder why there are so many sickos out there that prey on children (namely little girls).
Some girls develop at a younger age than other girls, that's the way it's always been. The difference today are parents like Billy Ray the the Spears' who pimp their kids as sex symbols and the rest of the idiot parents who condone it by purchasing all the crap because there too lazy to tell their kids no. Whether they have breasts or not they are going to have sex because it's what society deems acceptable and there's no one around to teach them otherwise. What a mind job.
I think you hit on a very important point here - we've sexualized even very young girls. Every time I hear someone complaining about little girls wearing "revealing" clothes it makes my stomach turn. For starters, there's nothing like telling a girl to hide her body non-stop to give her issues about it later in life. But mostly THERE SHOULD NEVER BE ANYTHING SEXUAL ABOUT KIDS. I don't care if they're running around buck freaking naked, it's a KID. It's the grownups that have the perversion and the complex.
It's interesting because I was born in 1987 and didn't get my period until I was almost 13. I started getting little teeny boobs growing in at about 12. However, my sister, born in 1996, started getting boobs at around 9 and got her period at 11. Considering we have the same mother, I would have expected us to get those things at around the same time. My mother, born in 1963 got her period at age 12, like me. I did always think it was odd that girls seem to be getting their periods sooner even than when I was little.
Oh, and wait... What 9 to 11 year old girl can't make change for a dollar? Seriously... if your child is that old and can't count to 100, you need to be getting that checked out for a mental deficiency.
hmm, I always thought it was the milk
There might be a few factors why girls seem to be growing up so fast.
For starters we're eating so much processed garbage,
with much of our food stored in plastic, made from petroleum,
and so many of our homes full of chemical agents.
How healthy can that combination be for anybody, much
less effecting our hormones?
Add to that, the cultural factors where little girls are
marketed to dress and act like little HO's, and their
irresponsible parents allow it.
Do you think Madonna had anything to do with
influencing the way girls dress today?
Does anyone believe Madonna was a contributing
factor, one of the inspirations, one of the architects
of today's over sexualized media images?
Did she not dress and act like a whore in some of her videos?
She says she doesn't allow her children to watch
television because of "media influence."
Who isn't laughing out loud at that
" look who's calling the kettle black " statement?
Now she inspires woman all over to be delusional
in thinking she will have some viable relationship
with a 22 year boy toy.
Moral of the story.
Is it out of line to blame plastic and Madonna?
What about boys? Surely that drug doesn't pick and and chose?
And sopie5: have you never heard of science?
I was thinking that too- it should affect boys as well. My son born in 1992 is pretty far along in puberty, tall, beard hair, etc, even some chest hair and he's only just turning 17. He's very cute, BTW.
I read somewhere, I think in England, they have to redesign school furniture, kids are taller and bigger, not just fatter, they are really bigger. I think that is a fact. It could be just evolution. Every generation gets taller. Life is still mysterious. I read there is a new sea horse discovered. I also read school uniforms are sometimes not big enough for the students. And then there was the accident today, I guess yesterday, all those girls standing on a grate, collapsing. There has to be some common sense. They don't seem to be as smart as they used to be.
Now looking back, I remember there was a girl in my neigbhourhood, that was very big for 12, and was interested in boys, she looked and acted like an older teenager, I just think it is more common now, and I can see how parents need to respond properly, because they don't have the life experience, and I guess that is what they want. Possibly that is why they are sending their pictures back and forth, it is a big deal I guess they are changing, and then they have the picture phones. We never had that when we were kids. It is sort of like star trek having a phone like that. In countries where kids are malnourished they are a lot smaller. I think watching a child die of starvation would be a bigger hardship, than to see your child grow up too fast.
I wish that vendors and the govt. seemed more concerned about protecting us from ourselves when I hear about this. When the consumer buys a baby bottle or a sippy cup, there is an expectation that this product will be safe for children. It is scary to find that these items may be harming us. I believe there are many reasons for the trends among young girls here, making it hard to determine the sources, but why not err on the side of caution? I agree with overdue's comments above - What about the effect on boys? I think we need to rethink the wonder of plastics in our life, and be more judicious in their use. I also think that djanimaequeen has an excellent point above: we are encouraging all kids to grow up too fast with our national sexual obsession. We all say we want to protect kids, but we have a lot of control over their music, clothing, TV, etc. choices and we seem to suffer from a general laziness when it comes to making responsible choices. We need to make sure kids are free to be children for their time, and teach them to be responsible adults, so they can continue the trend. It seems to be a lost art. Parents must be vigilant, but we all could do a much better job of shielding children from sexual and violent images, and try to encourage a better society. First and foremost, lets protect children physically, and be more cautious about all matters related to our food chain.
Something is seriously wrong here.
We recognize that estrogen is a major risk for factor for breast & uterine cancer. Hence, even when patients have horrible hot flashes, we are very circumspect about exposing these menopausal or post-menopausal women to estrogen. So far, so good.
But these cancers represent the culmination of intracellular influences occurring over many years. The time to intervene to protect against cancer is earlier in life! So, once we've identified BPA as a carcinogenic influence, there can be no justification for failing to completely ban BPA. This can prevent thousands of new cancers from ever developing.
What the hell are we waiting for? Ban BPA now!
Oh yes, and then we are marketed to repeatedly by the soy industry. Soy as a food is the most over processed of "foods" we have. Soy from the field is unpalatable. The phytoestrogens is contains are why some recommend it for women whose estrogen levels are falling.
And, we give it to babies! A day of soymilk formula is like giving an infant the equivalent of 8 BC pills.
I wonder if the Food Business has any stake in that?
Young people smoke dope, drink drug infested water and this study isolates one element? There are so many chemicals being ingested by humans with no studies and no concern by the regulatory agencies because the chemical companies and drug companies took control of the FDA, etc. Corporations shorten lives to increase profit.
Are you suggesting these pre-preteen girls smoke dope and that's why they get their periods earlier?
Otherwise, you're spot on. A very large majority of the chemicals they put into consumables go through little or no toxicity testing.
The China Study draws a link between increased animal product consumption and earlier onset of puberty. The countries with the highest levels of animal protein consumption -- meat, dairy, and eggs -- have the earliest menstruation and highest rates of breast cancer. Animal protein consumption has skyrocketed in past decades, keeping pace with the earlier menstruation seen in our society.
Yes, and kids don't eat fruit,vegetables or whole grains much either. If you think about the foods that are consumed and all of the additives and pesticides, it's pretty depressing...I hope my mind starts wandering to turtles and squirrels soon...turtles and squirrels...turtles and squirrels...and Isabella Rossellini....Ahhh, I feel better already....
Since the time industrial farming really took over there seems to be all kinds of health disasters for humans. More cancer, more heart disease, changing the way children develope physically etc. In North America animals for food are fed chemicals to make them ,mature faster and gain weight. When you eat those animals you are eating those chemicals. When you enter a food market in Canada and the US and look at the meat counter, it is difficult to see where the fat leaves off and the meat begins. Most of the people are the same way, fat. You can't trim the fat in that meat because it is right to the bone. They call it marbling, I call it fat.
I live in Colombia South America. Other than chicken most animals are free range. That is for cows, they are grass fed. When you enter a butcher shop the first thing you notice, as a Canadian, is that there is no fat in the muscle part of the meat. Colombians are big meat eaters and they are not fat.
You are what you eat. In North America people eat meat from fat animals and are fat. In Colombia, people eat meat from naturally fed and grown animals and are nice and slim.
Thank you.
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