It is almost a taboo for most Ugandan parents to discuss sexual matters with their children. this is because they feel they want them to keep pure until they are grown up and ready for marriage- then they can inculcate into them values regarding sexuality, relationships and love. then a relative is deployed to do a job that makes a girl aware of her own body and the various changes affecting her body all which are more or less meant to prepare a girl for a future successful marriage.
When a girl during the past century showed features of puberty before age seven, then she would be declared to be having precocious puberty. Today many girls are maturing much earlier compared to 20 years ago and unfortunately though matured physically, they are socially or psychologically immature.
This then can create a lot of emotional difficulties for the children and lots of worry for their parents. However, unlike precocious puberty which in a good number of cases, early maturation may be due to underlying medical problems, the general decrease in age of commencement of puberty largely has no medical problems causing it.
the children find themselves at a big loss regarding what is happening to their small bodies and so require the inevitable early explanation from their parents or family doctor to ward off unforeseeable problems. Unfortunately, the proverbial aunts who have since time immemorial been at the forefront of sex education for the maturing girls, have today lost bite since many may not be academically, financially or religiously at par with the parents. our cultures also having taken a heavy knock have not helped our girl children believe what they take to be archaic aunt’s stuff.
What’s puberty?
Puberty, usually occurring during adolescence, is when children develop physically and emotionally into young men and women. In girls, the telltale signs of puberty include breast enlargement, pubic or underarm hair development, rapid height attainment (a growth “spurt”), onset of menstruation, acne, and body oduor of mature people. Puberty is apparently triggered by chemicals (hormones) from two brains areas which stimulate the release of sex hormones from the ovaries. the sex hormones are responsible for what manifests as as puberty. but what is causing girls to attain early puberty?
Possible causes
Though the real cause for this is unknown, there seem to be links between nutritional status, weight and the timing of sexual development.
Lifestyle changes
In the 60s, girls did not start to menstruate till they were 14 or 15 and it was said this had a lot to do with malnutrition. the assumption for steady decline in age of menstruation since then has more to do with improved nutrition. It is not surprising therefore that there is early puberty in obese girls and much more delayed puberty in thin ones. Apparently, the onset of periods is determined by weight which is approximately 48kgs. It appears the recently discovered hormone, leptin, is involved. Leptin links puberty to obesity because leptin is produced in fatty tissue and the more the fatty tissue, the more the leptin, which then triggers earlier puberty in more chubby girls. Today’s lifestyle changes of more fast food, less exercise and associated epidemic obesity is triggering early puberty to epidemic dimensions.
Better nutrition
Today children are exposed to many substances that may affect their sex hormones triggering early puberty. these so called endocrine-disrupting chemicals are interacting with body composition to cause this. Exposure to oestrogens (female sex hormones which stimulate puberty) in hard plastics, chemicals (antibacterial soaps that contain Triclosan, personal care products, and pesticides, hence the name Xeno-oestrogens) and foods (Phyto-oestrogens) has been increasing unabated. a large number of baby girls in China showed early breast development after taking milk made from Synutra milk powder (but the government claims it is safe).
rather than lament then, it is very important to consume a balanced non-fattening diet which includes lots of greens. also we should try minimising exposure to chemicals in the environment by using safer personal care products and not to forget that physical exercises are not only for adults. Physical education right from nursery school here may be a saviour.
Stress
Sexual development may also depend on the family environment in which a girl is growing up apart from family genetics. the relationship between mother and daughter may also affect the timing of the daughter’s sexual maturation. Girls growing up in stressed families seem to reach puberty earlier. if the father is absent or if an adult male who is not the girl’s father is present, puberty will occur earlier. It is also a common scientific fiction that the increasingly overt sexuality of our media may stimulate earlier sexual development.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity also seems to play a role in earlier puberty. In countries where there are whites and blacks like in South Africa or the US blacks are maturing earlier. much as most early puberty in children (girls) may not be due to disease, emotional problems, possible breast cancer connection, and the fact that children who mature early do not grow as tall, may be issues to consider in girls with early puberty.
So the emotional problems culminate into lowered self esteem, early pregnancy, STIs (and HIV infection) and poor body image. once a child shows features of early puberty, a paediatrician should be consulted.
