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May 8, 2006

*Why Do Some Girls Mature At A Younger Age?*

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By Shellie -Shah

and KATU.com Web Staff

http://www.katu.com/stories/85714.html

PORTLAND, Ore. - Most parents would agree that kids are growing up fast

these days, but it may surprise you that doctors and scientists agree as

well, especially when it comes to girls.

Before girls start first grade, some of them are starting a change we

associate with teenagers - puberty.

It is supposed to be an age of innocence, but little girls are growing

up fast, both on the inside and the outside.

As early as kindergarten, girls are starting to change.

" Now it really is that in a Caucasian child having breast budding at the

age of 7 is considered normal, and in an African-American as young as

the age of 6 would be considered within the range of normal, " said Dr.

Marks, OHSU Pediatric Endocrinology.

One 10-year-old girl who spoke with KATU News said her breast

development started at age 6.

We will call her '' to shield her from any embarrassment.

" I was kind of scared that other girls weren't going through that and I

felt more different, " she said.

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Helpful Links

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Precocious Puberty

<http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sexual/precocious.html>

KidsHealth Web site <http://www.kidshealth.org/>

About Lupron Depot <http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/hormones/a/lupron.htm>

and her mom were referred to a specialist and the girl underwent

an ultrasound of her ovaries and a MRI was ran on her brain. Eventually,

was diagnosed with precocious puberty.

" I didn't want her to be teased, " 's mother said. " I didn't want

people to notice, so at first we would just double up on shirts. "

However, like with other girls, doubling up on the shirts only worked

for so long.

" When I'm changing and all the girls just throw on a shirt and I'm

putting on my bra, they're asking me why I'm wearing that thing, "

explained.

So why are girls starting to become women so much earlier than their

moms did when they were young?

It has long been known that girls mature faster than boys, both

physically and emotionally, but for some reason, girls are starting that

process at an even earlier age.

" It's not a little girl's body anymore, " said mother Kirsten

son-Croak. " She's 10 and developing more. "

Some people question whether hormones in milk are to blame, but OHSU

Researcher Dr. Ojeda says no.

Dr. Ojeda studies early puberty in kids and while he says milk hormones

do not seem to play a part in puberty, other environmental factors do,

factors like pesticides and chemicals in plastics.

Take something as simple as a plastic water bottle.

" Chemicals slowly get released into the water and then when you drink

the water or eat the food, you get exposed to the plastic, " said Ojeda.

In mice, that chemical has been shown to induce early puberty in

females, but for reasons researchers cannot explain, the same chemical

delays puberty in boys.

However, the biggest contributing factor to early puberty in young girls

appears to be obesity. The heavier the girl, the earlier her breasts

develop and the earlier her period begins.

Doctors say because of diet, young African-American and Hispanic girls

tend to be heavier than Caucasians, and start puberty sooner.

The reason why weight matters is because when the body senses it has

extra calories, enough to sustain a pregnancy, the fat tissues release a

signal into the bloodstream. That signal then travels to the brain,

telling it that sexual development is a 'go.'

Doctors see the opposite happen in girls who suffer from anorexia. When

the body is starved of calories, the first thing it does is shut down

sex hormones.

So what can you do to help your children?

Experts say you should start talking to them about their bodies at an

early age, like 2 or 3, and keep talking. As they get older and the

questions become more specific, the kids can feel comfortable continuing

the conversation.

Then there are the emotional changes that take place during puberty.

" I've been more emotional than all of my friends, " said . " If

something little goes wrong, I'll go to my room and cry. "

" She's just up and down because it's every aspect of going through

puberty early, " said 's mother. " It's (like) dealing with a teenage

girl. "

Doctors have found a way to delay one part of 's puberty - the

start of her period.

Every month, she gets a shot of Lupron Depot and when her friends start

catching up to her, she will stop the shots and let nature continue on

its course.

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