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Children's health

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Original poster

Experience of periods starting at 9 years old

29 replies

saramoon · 14/02/2009 22:19

Hi, am posting for my brother who has just called me with concerns about his 9 year old step daughter. He says she has been unbelievably emotional in the last few weeks, not just stroppy but really up and down. He said he remembered a girl in his class who had started her periods when she was, he thinks, 9. I also remember a girl in the last year of my primary who started her periods but i also remember that she was quite heavy set and was the one who was already wearing a bra.
My bro's step daughter is so slight in build it is hard to believe she is 9, i am guessing she would fit into size 6 to 7 clothes. Do girls just generally start their periods earlier these days? 9 does seem to be a bit early. Any ideas? I did suggest that it might be problems with her stepdad but apparantely it isn't that, although there are issues there at the moment. Sorry so long.

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CarGirl · 14/02/2009 22:21

they can be moody for a few years before they start their periods! Generally the age that their Mum & maternal Grandma started is a good indicator of what age they are likely to start.

Build, weight, height has little to do with it, 9 is very unusual though.

AnyFuckerForAShiteSoppyCard · 14/02/2009 22:22

so she hasn't actually started her periods ?

kids can be moody for reasons other than hormones

LargeGlassofRed · 14/02/2009 22:25

I started my periods at 9, dd1 has just turned 9 and has been very hormonal and weepy for the last few months so thinks she will to.
My mum and my nan both started very early too.
Saying that though we are all very tall so I always thought that that had something to do with it.

Sidge · 14/02/2009 22:27

Girls are starting their periods much earlier than they were 20 years ago.

It's unusual to start at 9 but not unheard of.

Build and weight can be linked, girls that are very well-nourished (a polite way of saying well grown ) may enter puberty earlier.

CarGirl · 14/02/2009 22:29

My Mum was 12 my dd1 was 12, I was just 14 but I never ate much was too fussy and was skinny and 4.5 stone until about that age!

babyOcho · 14/02/2009 22:30

I started my period when I was almost 10 (a month before). I am very small, as a 33 year old am 5ft 2.

Original poster

saramoon · 15/02/2009 10:51

Thanks for replies, i will let him know what you have written.

OP posts:

NorbertDentressangle · 15/02/2009 10:56

My DD is a very slight built 9 yo (approx. in age 7 clothes) and is incredibly moody and up and down emotionally.

I think its quite common at this age (from talking to other parents and reading threads on here) and not necessarily linked to imminent periods.

Madsometimes · 15/02/2009 18:20

Most girls who start their periods early are either tall for their age or heavier than average. However, I know of one girl who started her period at 10 who was small and very slim, so it can happen.

My 8 year old dd is also extremely up and down emotionally. It is just her personality, and lots of her friends are the same. I do not think that she is about to start her period, but I do expect that she will be earlier than me (13).

christywhisty · 15/02/2009 21:18

My DD is 11.5 and started her periods this week. She is tall for her age and well developed but very slim. She has been "hormonal" for well over a year. She is still at primary school and is not the first to start in her class.

CarofromWton · 15/02/2009 21:28

My DD1 is 10 and started her periods last month. She's very tall and slim, with little breast development. My mom and I started at 13 so I'm not sure why DD has started early! She has been acting like a moody teenager for a good couple of years now so the periods came as no surprize!

However, she's having additional problems which I think are related to starting her periods (see my thread here but this is not the norm.)

brazenhussy · 15/02/2009 22:37

My DD1 started hers at 10 (tall and slim)
DD2 started hers at 9 (tall and heavily built)
I was just 9 (tall and slim)

I think it is more to do with genes and hereditory (sp?) than build

LouIsAHappyLittleVegemite · 16/02/2009 15:49

I started at 9 adn that was 20 years ago.
Was the bitch from hell for a couple of months before hand. My mum thought it was all about her meeting my soon to be step dad.
However I had boobs etc at that age. If she is not that developed she could just be in a bad mood over something.

Pawslikepaddington · 16/02/2009 15:57

I started at 9, and was very weepy, but don't remember being a cow until about 12. I wasn't "thick set" but was v tall (sadly am no longer-my growth spurt ended there!)

CarofromWton · 17/02/2009 10:50

I took my DD to see a paediatrician yesterday with her puberty problems and she informed me that if a girl is very tall she may start her periods early, but the main factor is good nutrition.

So be proud if your DDs start early - you have been feeding them well! Nice to have a positive slant to all this.

moonmother · 17/02/2009 11:17

My Dd is 8 (9 in March) and has been like this for 18 months, the first things we noticed was that she had a lump in her breast, and she was referred to see an endocrinologist unit at the local hospital.

The consultant was great with her, checked her all over, blood tests and scanned her hand- this tells them the childs 'bone' age and this tells can tell them whether there is a likelihood of puberty hitting early and said yes she was going into puberty early, but nowadays it's nothing to worry about.She was discharged in May last year.

Since then she's also got the greasy hair,spots appearing and has had to start wearing deoderant, also her breasts get very tender, and are starting to grow more noticeable.

Over the last few days she has been complaining of feeling generally 'odd' (her description) and been very tearful.She has had bouts of moodiness , very like PMT for about 18 months now, but this bout seems to be much stronger.

I'm pretty sure the periods will appear very soon, as remembering back to when mine started I had the same general symptoms.

The only 'puberty' related signs that haven't appeared is the body hair, I can't remember if that came before or after my periods started, but I guess things can happen in a different order.

Dd is quite tall and slim for her age, many people think she's about 10-11. Whereas I stared my periods at 11 and am only 4' 11.

There are a few threads on here about this topic, and I am thinking of getting her some of the 'Teen' vitamins to try, to see if that helps make a difference. Her Consultant advised me to give her Evening Primrose Oil capsules, to help with the breast tenderness and moodiness , but to be honest it didn't really make a difference.

TheCrackFox · 17/02/2009 11:24

I did read somewhere that being around 7 stone has a lot to do with your periods starting. Not sure how true it is though.

Themasterandmargaritas · 17/02/2009 11:24

All this puberty starting earlier and earlier begs the question of when you start talking about the changes that will happen to them. So what sort of age do you start explaining all about puberty and the reason for it? Dd is 7 and still blissfully ignorant.

MuppetsMuggle · 17/02/2009 11:28

My cousins DD1 started her periods at almost 10. shes struggling, esp as shes the only one in her class and shes getting bullied because of it.

moonmother · 17/02/2009 11:33

I have explained the general ins and outs of puberty to Dd , obviously did this when she was referred to the hospital.

I haven't yet gone into great detail and explained about puberty and sex education, as I didn't want to bombard her with too much information, at a time where she was worried anyway due to having to have visits to the hospital.

She does understand the basics of puberty, and periods etc, and I will be having the full on discussion, including talking about sex etc very soon.

In light of recent events covered in the news ,and that I personally feel that with our children physically maturing earlier, sex ed needs to be discussed earlier, I have no qualms talking to my Dd about it, although she is quite mature for her age.

Themasterandmargaritas · 17/02/2009 11:38

I have to admit it hadn't even crossed my mind that it was approaching. Dd is very mature so perhaps we will have a chat towards the end of the year as she turns 8. I think I will ask at school when/if they start their sex education classes.

BCNS · 17/02/2009 11:50

another one here who started periods at 9 years old. I was also a skinny little thing and weighed no where near 7 stone.

According to my mum I was rather moody too, and although I knew about puberty and what would happen etc.. I was extrememly upset when it happened so early and was mortified that I had to grow up! and mum was a bit shocked too.

Lots of love and reasurance saved the day, and all was okay very soon.

cutekids · 22/02/2009 19:22

i know of x 2 girls in my kids'school who have started their periods at nine.these days,i don't think it's THAT unusual to be honest.

fuzzywuzzy · 22/02/2009 19:26

I did, I was then, and am still very tiny of build. I started my period I think a few months before I hit ten. So is possible.

cory · 24/02/2009 00:01

Dd started at 10, which was a year earlier than me.

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