Opinion essay on contemporary societal challenges and crises

¶ … Puberty

Early Puberty

A strange phenomena is occurring and affecting American girls in a unique manner, they are entering puberty earlier than ever recorded. Liz Szabo, in her article "Girls hit puberty earlier than ever, and doctors aren't sure why" discussed this topic and revealed not only the personal effects of this development but also a variety of possibilities as to why this is happening. One of the major aspects of early development in girls is the fact that although this may appear to be a biological disorder, there often are accompanying behavioral, psychological, and social effects. But within the text of this enlightening article may lie the seeds to understanding this problem and developing a means to curb it.

In order to personalize the effects of what would otherwise be an interesting, but somewhat intellectual, subject, Liz Szabo delved into the story of a young American girl suffering from the effects of early onset of puberty. Laila, as the girl is called, first demonstrated signs of something unusual at the age of three, and by the age of six was producing pubic hair. A year later, at just seven years of age, the little girl began to develop breasts and doctors warned that she could begin menstruating within the next year. But the real nightmare came when doctors told the little girl's parents that these physiological changes could be happening because of a brain tumor. They were relieved when that turned out not to be the case, but the idea of monthly injections to forestall the onset of puberty was almost as devastating. Laila's fear of needles shot that idea down but the introduction of a new implant technology has since forestalled the onset of puberty in Laila with no side effects and a minimum of terror inflicted on the young girl.

But the really interesting aspect of Liz Szabo's article is her research into the possible causes of this disorder and the enlightening information she revealed. While scientists are divided as to the cause of early puberty, research has demonstrated that in general, girls developed much later, "probably because of poor diets and infectious diseases left them relatively thin." (Szabo 2011) Doctors suspect that the lack of body fat may have been an indicator to the body's physiology that the girl was not ready for pregnancy. Therefore, poor dietary habits and the preponderance of infectious diseases, which effect overall health, may be a contributing factor in how late a girl matures.

For example, in the early 1800's, Scandinavia was a poor country and its people lived in miserably impoverished conditions. As a result, Scandinavian girls did not usually begin menstruating until the age of 16 or 17, but as the conditions improved throughout the 19th century, "the age at first menstruation occurred two or three months earlier each decade." (Szabo 2011) The increase in the overall percentage of fat in the body may be a significant contributing factor in how early a girl's body feels it is ready to reproduce and she begins to menstruate.

According to a recent study, in the United States about 15% of girls enter puberty as early as age 7, and this rate is almost 25% among African-Americans girls. (Szabo 2011) Many researchers feel that these girls' bodies are being forced to mature before their brains are ready for it, creating a number of psychological and behavioral problems. But what is causing this problem? One answer may be the increase in childhood obesity among American children. As Chris Feudtner of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia stated, "this generation of children is heavier, less active and more prone to chronic disease and hormonal changes." (Szabo 2011) It is known that obesity raises the levels of certain hormones, such as insulin or leptin, and these are believed to be involved in the starting of puberty in young girls. Therefore, childhood obesity may increase the levels of hormones involved in the onset of early puberty in girls. The fact that African-Americans are also more likely to suffer from childhood obesity may also help explain why African-American girls are more likely to enter puberty at an earlier rate.

Laila's parents chose to use a surgical implant to curb the effects of early onset of puberty in their daughter, but this is only a treatment and does not deal with the underlying cause; which may be the preponderance of childhood obesity. Since Laila was described as slim and athletic, it is likely that as an average American, Laila is larger and healthier than children in the past and therefore, while not obese, her increased size and health may indeed play a role in her disorder. But her parents' real concern was the psychological and behavioral effects on their daughter, or the fact that she was growing up too fast and her brain was not ready for such changes. To alleviate this fear they opted for a surgical implant which could delay the changes in Laila's body until a time when it was more appropriate. This option not only avoided the terror of monthly injections, but also seems to be working.