puberty

[fortheluvofpooh]

my dds bff just got her period. DD is 7 1/2 her bff is 8 1/4. How common is it for a girl this young to get her period? It has been along time since I got my first anything, but I do remember I was in 8th grade, so that puts me about 12. We took this as an opportunity to discuss body changes in girls. YIKES. I know that early onset puberty can be caused by many things, such as yrs ago the old formulation in soybased formula, some add/adhd meds can cause it, increase pituitary gland activity, emotional disorders and more. The 8 yr old I am talking about was a breastfed baby, no add/adhd and emotionally sound. I think it is just her time to start. But what age do you think is the norm now? Poor thing, she is starting this lovely gift way too young. Thankfully also her mom is on the ball, she sensed something going on in her dd and before the period started she took her to the dr for a physical and she and the dr explained how her body is going to soon be changing.

 

[disneymarie]

my dds bff just got her period. DD is 7 1/2 her bff is 8 1/4. How common is it for a girl this young to get her period? It has been along time since I got my first anything, but I do remember I was in 8th grade, so that puts me about 12. We took this as an opportunity to discuss body changes in girls. YIKES. I know that early onset puberty can be caused by many things, such as yrs ago the old formulation in soybased formula, some add/adhd meds can cause it, increase pituitary gland activity, emotional disorders and more. The 8 yr old I am talking about was a breastfed baby, no add/adhd and emotionally sound. I think it is just her time to start. But what age do you think is the norm now? Poor thing, she is starting this lovely gift way too young. Thankfully also her mom is on the ball, she sensed something going on in her dd and before the period started she took her to the dr for a physical and she and the dr explained how her body is going to soon be changing.

Gee 8 is possible for sure but seems so early. I was 13 and then only about 2 a year until after the third baby at 27.
I had pituatary difficiancy and wondered even how the three came for me. I guess the mom already talked then to doctor to make sure all hormones an glands are functioning acceptable levels.
Gosh at 53 1/2 I am hoping this is finally it!
Now the 12 yr old starts
di
di

 

[jakoky]

wow, 8 is young, too young...poor little girl ...i was 13 when i started and my oldest dd was 14..my youngest dd is almost 13 and still doesnt have hers and she is only one of 3 her age that she knows that does NOT have it yet...i keep my telling my oldest dd she was very lucky to get it so late (she is 17 now)....
sharon

 

[leebee]

DD had friends who started in 5th grade, but most seem to start in 7th-8th, making them what...12 or so? DD was almost 14, and indeed was about the last in her grade level. Here's an interesting tidbit- DD's best friends are identical twins, who started 6 months apart from each other. So much for genetics!!

poor baby, 8 seems to young to know about "LIFE", much less be starting the reproductive years!

 

[mncherokee]

8 is really young... I was a late bloomer... I want to say I was 16 when I finally had mine...but I remember friends who had them really early. It's all so tough! My 9 year old already knows about it, although I don't think she is anywhere near starting. I prefer having a parent talk to kids about these subjects (I remember info that other kids would talk about that wasn't necessarily true!)

 

[SeeDisney]

WOW --- 8 is so very young. I was 14 on my 14th birth month when I got my period back in 1980.

My dd's 4th grade classs, there's about 3 girls that she knows of that got they cycle.

I agree...that puberty in some girls has started earlier and earlier. I also read many times that growth hormones in cow's milk may have something to do with this problem.

It's just sad.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Well, I started at 9. I didn't even know what was happening! My mom didn't think to tell me about it since my sister was 12 and hadn't started yet. She had no idea I would be first.

I've heard that the age the mom starts can indicate when a girl will start. Not the exact age, but a mom who started early will tend to have a girl who starts early, too. My mom did recall that she also started at 9. So, that analogy was true for me but not for my sister.

My OB/GYN told me that girls who start early also tend to have early menopause (I'm 43 and not there yet but have missed a few here and there....I know, TMI!).

I don't have a daughter, just boys so I won't be dealing with it!

 

[raysnkaysmom]

8 is really young... I was a late bloomer... I want to say I was 16 when I finally had mine...but I remember friends who had them really early. It's all so tough! My 9 year old already knows about it, although I don't think she is anywhere near starting. I prefer having a parent talk to kids about these subjects (I remember info that other kids would talk about that wasn't necessarily true!)

I was 16 too...and I was in the minority..
10-11 seems to be the norm now... but my daughter will be 13 in Nov and she hasn't started yet either...
Nowadays tho...they all are pretty much in the know about it....since it is common to start younger....

 

[mrsmiller]

I got my "gift" when I was 9yrs too,... in my time they gave health ed(is that what is call now?) in school (elementary) so I knew what was going to happen and was no surprise.

My oldest boy started puberty when he was 8yrs and he was so embarrassed (specially his voice changing) He also lost his first tooth when he was 2 (took him to the ER ) so I guess is in his nature to be precocious. My little one (10 yrs) is a late bloomer , no signs of puberty yet...

linnette

 

[dyna]

My youngest was 8 when she got her period too but when she was 18 months old ppl in the stores was asking if she shouldn't be in school that day not once but just about every time I took her out during day.

It's not any easier being an early bloomer than a late bloomer. My DD too knew what to expect an had 2 older sisters to run to if she had questions she didn't want to ask me. Sometimes when the older sis's wasn't sure or needed backing they came to me it all worked out well in the end with the sisters being early 20's when DD was 8.

 

[Katy Belle]

I started when I was 12, many moons ago! I remember a friend of mine starting in 4th grade, probably 10yrs old?

When I was teaching a girl in my 3rd grade class, age 9, got her period. I had to keep her "supplies" in my desk drawer. Poor thing. And she was so immature!

I have a friend who feeds her girls only organic meat and milk trying to avoid the hormones that are given to cows.

Katy

 

[RMulieri]

My niece was 9 .My neighbors kid just turned 8 and got hers.I still swear it is the hormones in the milk and all the food we eat.i was 12 when I got mine and my mom was 16, it seems like every new generation gets it earlier and earlier.

 

[happymommy]

It could be the hormones, but I really think it may be that our diet is so rich. Our kids are larger than we are, and eat much better as far as protein and vitamins than earlier generations in general. I don't know - mostly we drink organic soy milk. My DD has had very little cow milk (she was allergic for a couple of years, DS still is, so we drink soy), and at 8 was developing. At 9 she is very much into puberty. I don't think in her case hormones in milk has played any part. She also doesn't like meat, so eats mainly vegetarian type meals.

I think it has to do in part with when the mom went through puberty. I was 12, and my older sister who was 15 still hadn't. I was on the young side, so I suspect my daughter will start very soon.

It isn't something I would worry about. In my nephew's school, they pretty much all started by the end of 6th grade.

Kids are maturing earlier than they did a couple of generations ago. I remember the girls in my high school that hadn't until 16 - but there were very very few of those.

 

[Chime]

It's young, but the norm with the women in my family.

My aunts and all my female cousins began their periods at 8 and 9. My cousins were all formula fed babies so I'm not sure that being breastfed has anything to do with it. It's just considered the average age in our family.

I was the weird one who didn't get mine to the ripe old age of 12.

 

[OnourwaytoWDW]

I remember I was in the 5th grade and it was a Sunday in the spring. So I was 11. Even then, at 5th grade that was early! But then I have pictures of me dated 1978 (8 years old) and I have already started to develop on top.
It sure is crazy to me now to see these girls in my ds 5th grade class already developing. But I was the same way!

Sorta on and off topic, ds and I had a drug/smoking talk last night while he was messing around on the computer and I was doing dishes. It went well.

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

I got my period when I was 12 yrs old, and I think that I was about average in terms of the age that people get their periods. I am 27 now, so that was or seems like a long time ago!

I know that it seems like girls are maturing earlier and earlier....it's so sad to me. I have 2 boys, and as parents we always want to have them cherish their childhood as long as possible.

But, I have to say that I do agree with a PP that commented on kids being taller and bigger. I read somewhere that because everything is fortified, w/ hormones and vitamins, it makes a generation healthier, but also bigger. So maybe that has something to do w/ it.

For the record, I stopped giving my boys soy milk b/c I read that 1-8oz. glass of soy milk contains the same amount of estrogen as 1 birth control pill!

 

[Todd&Copper]

. . . .

I think it has to do in part with when the mom went through puberty. I was 12, and my older sister who was 15 still hadn't. I was on the young side, so I suspect my daughter will start very soon.

I don't know how much that really plays into it. My mom was a very late starter - she was 16 - while I started at 10 and my sister started at 11.

[Mom was born in the 50's and sis & I were born in the 70's]

I tend to agree that we are much better fed (and I mean a greater variety of nutirents, although we are fatter, too) than previous generations.

 

[Todd&Copper]

I got my period when I was 12 yrs old, and I think that I was about average in terms of the age that people get their periods. I am 27 now, so that was or seems like a long time ago!

I know that it seems like girls are maturing earlier and earlier....it's so sad to me. I have 2 boys, and as parents we always want to have them cherish their childhood as long as possible.

But, I have to say that I do agree with a PP that commented on kids being taller and bigger. I read somewhere that because everything is fortified, w/ hormones and vitamins, it makes a generation healthier, but also bigger. So maybe that has something to do w/ it.

For the record, I stopped giving my boys soy milk b/c I read that 1-8oz. glass of soy milk contains the same amount of estrogen as 1 birth control pill!

And that is why my DH will not touch soy products - he doesn't want to grow he-hooters.

 

[crewriam816]

I started when I was 11. But even then we thought it was late for me. My body matured very fast, so the only thing I didnt have was the period. My older sister was put on hormone pills to STOP her from getting her period at 7 because she too was developing too fast. She didnt get hers until 12. My little sister got hers at 12 as well. I was the earliest, but like i said, i also matured faster than a lot of people and was the second in my class to get their period which made it worse, because i was the 2nd youngest...

 

[lpberg]

not to be a naysayer or anything (!), but....did the dr indicate that it was OK for this little girl to be starting her period? I've heard about several instances, most recently with a friend of mine's daughter, where, the little girl (7 or 8 years old) was tested and it ended up being a thyroid condition that was causing her to start her period TOO EARLY. I'd be somewhat concerned and asking the dr to check EVERYTHING to make sure that it isn't some other kind of problem causing her to start puberty early.

My DD8 is definitely *moody* and does have slight issues with body odor - I asked the dr at her 8 year checkup and she indicated that starting her on deodorant would not be a good idea at this point (she's too young and over time, her body would longer "accept" the deodorant). She also said that unless she starts developing breast buds or pubic hair, not to worry about the body odor. Does the OP know if this little girl is developing in other ways as well? That, to me, would be a red flag - period, but no other signs of development.

Just my 2 cents.