What is the average puberty age for girls

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While the timing of puberty differs for each girl, physical changes always take place in the same order, says pediatrician Veronica Issac, MD. Girls generally begin and end puberty about two years earlier than boys, starting around age 11 and ending around age However, African-American and Hispanic girls tend to start puberty earlier than Caucasian girls, notes Dr.

The Tanner Stages break down the changes of puberty in girls as well as boys:. This is a normal response to growing amounts of the hormone estrogen in the body. While timelines can vary, most girls get their first period within 2 — 3 years after the development of breast buds.

The average age for girls to get their first period in the United States is around age It's important to emphasize that periods are a normal part of growing up. Young girls should know that it's okay to talk about periods and ask questions about them. Some young people may have anxiety about how to handle their first period, given that it can happen unexpectedly. Providing supplies pads, tampons, and pantiliners for your child's locker or backpack and reviewing resources at school, including the school nurse, can help alleviate this worry.

While some people will have periods once a month, periods may be irregular in the first few years as the body adapts to rapid physiological changes. Also, normal cycles of periods can be as short as 21 days or as long as 35… so even people with regular cycles might not have a period every single month! Abdominal cramping or pain with periods is also common. For most people, ibuprofen or naproxen used as needed are the best medicines to help with period cramps.

If menstrual cramps are severe or causing your child to miss school, talk to your pediatrician about other options. Most girls have their growth spurt at a younger age than boys do. The fastest rate of height growth usually occurs in girls between when breast buds start to develop and about 6 months before they get their period. Once a girl has had her first period, her growth has already started to slow down. Most girls grow another inches after getting their period, but increased height beyond that is less common.

Many young people develop acne during puberty. This can be related to changes in hormone levels during this time. With more oil and sweat being made by the skin, girls this age may start wanting to shower or shampoo their hair more often. On occasion, girls start puberty either very early or very late. Contact your pediatrician if you begin to see pubertal changes before your daughter is age 8. Likewise, contact your pediatrician if there are no pubertal changes in your daughter by age There is some debate on this.

The short answer to this question: maybe. It's clear that the starting age for puberty has decreased over the last years, likely related to improved nutrition. Trends in puberty over the last 40 years are less clear. Some studies suggest that puberty is starting earlier in the United States and Europe. Earlier puberty can be seen in children who were born very small as infants called small for gestational age , and we don't fully understand why this happens.

Obesity is also a risk factor for earlier puberty, in part because body fat is involved in how the body processes hormones like estrogen. Overall, more information and research is needed on this topic so we can fully understand these patterns and the possible reasons behind them.

As youth are growing taller, it's normal to gain weight. Rising amounts of estrogen in the body also cause fat to deposit in the hips and breasts, and the overall percentage of body fat increases in girls as they go through puberty.

Weight gain that is more than expected during puberty could be a cause for concern, though. Your pediatrician will look for whether your child's weight gain crosses percentile lines on her growth chart or whether her body mass index BMI is greater than the 85th percentile.

However, the overall pattern of weight gain is more important than any particular number. Robert Benjamin, MD , a Duke pediatric endocrinologist, says most of these are beyond your control. Girls are more likely to experience early puberty than boys, for example, and African-American and Hispanic children often mature earlier than white children.

Understanding the signs of early puberty will help you to know when to seek help. Here, Dr. Benjamin explains what you need to know. Other common changes for boys and girls include growth spurts, increased body odor, pubic and underarm hair, and acne. Boys may experience growth of their penis, small amounts of facial hair, and a deepening of their voice.

According to the National Institutes of Health, puberty usually begins in girls between 8 and 13 years of age, and in boys between 9 and 14 years of age. Puberty is considered to be early in boys before age 8 and girls before 9 years old. Benjamin said. Some causes of early puberty in girls include thyroid disorders , abnormal brain structure, exposure to radiation therapy, or ovarian cysts.

Over the last 50 years, the age of first menstruation continued to decline, but at a much slower rate by a few months and with wide ethnic disparity. White girls in the U. There is also a dearth of information about changes in the earlier signs of pubertal development, such as the onset of breast budding.

Data from the last few decades show a dramatic decline in the onset age for both breast budding and pubarche, and rates are continuing to decline. In the U. The average age of breast budding for African American girls is just under 9 years, with a significant percentage of thelarche development before age 8.

Steingraber argues that, particularly in the last several decades, these trends seem to be responding to stimuli beyond nutrition and general health. She highlights numerous studies linking exposure to environmental chemicals particularly endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can mimic hormones in the body to health concerns such as shortened gestational periods in fetal development, low birth-weight babies, increased obesity, and poor insulin regulation.

Similarly, high levels of dioxin exposure have been associated with elevated risks for breast cancer and early menarche.