Why girls gain early puberty: A growing trend

The age at which girls attain sexual maturity in urban India has dropped. This is according to a survey conducted by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India. The study found that 80 percent of girls in cities were reaching puberty at around 11 years of age, two years earlier than in the past. There is also a sharp decline in menarche age of women in India. The figure also points out that one in three female children are experiencing early maturity. It has become a concerning trend for the parents and paediatricians that growing up is happening earlier than scheduled. Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body. Since looks and images have become a major concern for children at puberty, many suffer from low self-esteem. Factors like periods, realisation of the concept of puberty, changing body get revealed in girls more strongly adjusting to the monthly biological calendar, cramps, and other aspects. And these eventually influence their behavioural patterns as well. This results in increasing mood swings, a rush of excitement, anger, anxiety, and sometimes depression. Doctors suggest that the onset of puberty is greatly determined by genetic control of a complex flow of signals in various organs that manages sexual behaviour.