While the right age for a girl to hit puberty and experience first menstruation was supposed to be 13 years and above, these days girls experience periods much early than the said age. However, this is not with all girls, though. Early puberty hits girls who experience certain physiological and emotional changes that induce hormonal imbalances and trigger early puberty. Another contributing factor towards early puberty in girls is childhood obesity. Excess fat, especially abdominal fat in the body alters the levels of different hormones like estrogen, insulin and leptin and leads to early puberty or early periods in girls. However, there isn't much concern expressed about this situation either by the healthcare experts or even parents. But there are reasons you should take this more seriously, here's why:
It increases risk of cardiovascular diseases
A study done in the year 2009 pointed out that women who experienced menstruation early in life that is before the age of 12 had higher chances of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, coronary heart disease and had an even higher risk of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases [1].
It increases risk of diabetes
Childhood obesity, if not controlled in time, can lead to lifestyle-related problems and diabetes is just one of them. Childhood obesity is also one of the markers of early puberty or menstruation. Studies suggest that girls who experience their first period earlier than 11 years of age have greater chances of suffering from type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders [2].
It increases chances of depression and anxiety
In another cross-sectional study done on high school students and college students, it was found that girls who experienced early periods also suffered from depression, anxiety, had suicidal tendencies and also nurtured self-harming behaviours. This goes to say that not only physiological health but early periods also affect a woman's mental health [3].
What you can do
Try and give your child a healthy lifestyle right from the start, the right kinds of food devoid of junk, physical activity to keep obesity at bay. These can help your child's system remain healthy and mature in time without alterations of hormonal levels and give its dire consequences a miss.
References
1. 1: Lakshman R, Forouhi NG, Sharp SJ, Luben R, Bingham SA, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ,Ong KK. Early age at menarche associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Dec;94(12):4953-60. doi:10.1210/jc.2009-1789. Epub 2009 Oct 30. PubMed PMID: 19880785.
2. Mueller, N. T., Duncan, B. B., Barreto, S. M., Chor, D., Bessel, M., Aquino, E. M., ... & Schmidt, M. I. (2014). Earlier age at menarche is associated with higher diabetes risk and cardiometabolic disease risk factors in Brazilian adults: Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).Cardiovascular diabetology, 13(1), 22.
3. 1: Deng F, Tao FB, Wan YH, Hao JH, Su PY, Cao YX. Early menarche and psychopathological symptoms in young Chinese women. J Womens Health (Larchmt).2011 Feb;20(2):207-13. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2010.2102. PubMed PMID: 21314447.
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