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Children's health

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Original poster

Daughter aged 8 developing breasts and has pubic hair

16 replies

Bitchinabonnet · 27/03/2018 08:35

Seeking advice here . My little girl is 8 (9 in August) and has definite rounding of the breasts and yesterday told me she had hair "down there" .
I had a look and , sure enough , there is some pubic hair growing .
Should I take her to my GP ? Surely this is a little early ? Am dreading the idea of her getting her periods early and all the misery and discomfort that brings .

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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WhitneyHoustonsbathtub · 27/03/2018 08:38

I was 9 when my periods started. Hasn’t negatively affected me in any way. She will be ok.

Isadora2007 · 27/03/2018 08:39

I ask this in the kindest manner possible ( and two of my four children have had weight issues) is she overweight?
My dd will be 9 this year and quite a few of her peers have the beginnings of boobs and they are all the children on the upper scale of percentile weight.

BrideOfChucky · 27/03/2018 08:46

The NHS website advises girls under 8 starting puberty should see a doctor

"Children who begin puberty either very early (before the age of 8) or very late (after 14) should see a doctor to rule out an underlying medical condition."

pimlicolife · 27/03/2018 08:56

I would take her to the gp just to be sure. Unless she's very tall/large as this has a strong influence on periods starting earlier.

Branleuse · 27/03/2018 08:58

at 8 I wouldnt take her to a doctor. Its a normal age to start puberty for girl. Its the lower end of normal, but it would not be regarded as precocious puberty. There would be nothing a doctor would do, and you do not need to register puberty with a doctor

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 27/03/2018 08:58

If she's 9 this year, she's on target - under 8 is considered worthy of a GP visit. You could take her anyway but I don't believe they'll do anything as she's over 8, and that might make her feel that something is wrong?

I'd just start the conversations about periods and body changes, if you haven't already, and get ready for periods. Hopefully they'll be a while off.

MrsZippyLake · 27/03/2018 09:04

I was about that age when I started developing breasts / pubic hair. Apart from embarrassment, it didn’t cause any issues for me. However, it does seem to run early on the maternal side of my family.

LemonysSnicket · 27/03/2018 09:24

My sister was 8. She’s fine.

Original poster

Bitchinabonnet · 27/03/2018 09:40

Hi everyone and thank you for all advice given . It is appreciated .
My daughter is actually very tall and skinny (definitely doesn't get it from me !) , all legs . I remember reading somewhere that a girl has to have a certain percentage of body fat for her periods to start so maybe I don't have to worry about that yet .

OP posts:

upsideup · 27/03/2018 09:43

Is her weight and height higher than others her age? Or did you start puberty at the same age? They are the main reasons for a child to start at around 8.
If she is quite small and you didnt start until later I would take to the doctor to check there wasnt another reason for starting early.

FairiesVsPixies · 27/03/2018 09:44

My dd started getting breast buds and all the signs of starting puberty around 9 and I was so sad but she didn't start her actual periods until she was about 14, so much later than all her friends. So I needn't have worried.
But if you are worried maybe take her to the doctors, although they'll probably say it is a normal age.

upsideup · 27/03/2018 09:44

X post, if shes really tall that wil probably be why. I wouldnt worry too much then.

Tinty · 27/03/2018 09:47

Sorry OP the body fat theory is a myth. My DD's two best friends, were absolute sticks and tiny, and both got pubic hair and breasts at 8/9 and started their periods age 10. I was really surprised because like you I thought it was the bigger/taller girls who would go through puberty first. It used to be said that when a girl reached 8 stone they would start periods both of these girls are now 13 and still not 8 stone.

I'm sorry that this isn't more helpful, but I think it goes that most girls start periods about a year after they get pubic hair.

Avasarala · 27/03/2018 09:48

There's no need to go to the GP. Puberty is triggered when a girl reaches roughly 45kg - genetics also plays a part so that's not always the case, but in general that's roughly when it all starts. If she's taller than normal for her age, that will be making her heavier.

FairiesVsPixies · 27/03/2018 10:03

Sorry OP the body fat theory is a myth

I believe this also. A girl I knew at school, and two of the girls my dd knew who started their periods at 9 were/are tiny little thin things.
I think it is genetics. My dm, ds and me all started at 12. My dd (very tall), as I said, was 14 nearly 15 but I think she got that from her ddad's side, whose dm and ds started very late.

Avasarala · 27/03/2018 10:16

Puberty is obese children is far more likely to occur younger than average (and younger than years ago when kids were not obese).

There is no definitive answer- it is still being studied but the link between weight and puberty is not a myth; it is widely accepted as a cause given the correlation between obesity in children and early onset puberty.

It is also accepted that genetics plays a huge role. If the mother started early, the child is 50% more likely to start early. And then grandmother's etc.

I wish people would stop saying "this theory is a myth because I know one kid who was skinny".

Read the research

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