CYP Now - Research Report: Early Puberty in 11-year-old Girls: Millennium Cohort Study Findings

Researchers examine whether, and how, a girl's social and economic circumstances and her ethnicity might be linked to the early onset of puberty.

Authors Yvonne Kelly, Afshin Zilanawala, Amanda Sacker, Robert Hiatt, Russell Viner

Published by Archive of Diseases in Childhood, September 2016

SUMMARY

In the UK, the median age for girls to start their periods is 12 years and nearly 11 months. Early puberty in girls is associated with a number of adverse outcomes throughout their life, including the increased risk of early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy, poor mental health in adolescence, mid-life cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. However, it is also associated with better bone health in early old age. Past research has found links between early puberty and factors such as obesity, stress, pollutants, migration and genetic factors.

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