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In girls, puberty typically begins with breast development between ages 8 and 13 and ends with menarche, or the first period. Puberty is a process launched when the pituitary gland releases hormones that signal the body to amp up production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone (in girls) or testosterone (in boys), triggering the development of secondary sexual characteristics. "The things happening in the first year may be very different than those in the last year," says Mendle.ĭespite the complexity, however, psychologists are beginning to understand the social and environmental factors that make early puberty a risky proposition. After all, early puberty isn't a single event - it's a process that can last four years or more. Understanding the risks associated with early maturation is complicated. Still, some studies have suggested that boys, too, might be developing earlier than generations past. Far fewer studies have explored pubertal timing in boys, in part because there isn't a clear objective marker of puberty in boys comparable to a girl's first period. Today, it's closer to 13, as Susan Euling, PhD, and colleagues described in a 2008 paper ( Pediatrics, 2008). The average age of a girl's first period in the United States and Europe was about 16 a century ago. That's worrisome, especially because the average age of puberty seems to be trending younger for children worldwide. The picture for early-developing boys isn't as clear, but evidence suggests that they, too, might suffer ill effects from maturing ahead of their peers. Early-maturing girls are at increased risk of a range of psychosocial problems including depression, substance use and early sexual behavior, as University of Florida psychologist Julia Graber, PhD, described in a recent review ( Hormones and Behavior, 2013). "As children develop physically, it changes how they think about themselves and how people relate to them socially," says Jane Mendle, PhD, a psychologist at Cornell University.įor young people who begin puberty earlier than their peers, the transformation appears to be particularly fraught - especially for girls. Puberty is an inherently awkward transition, and it's not all physical.