Do daughters start their periods at similar age as parents?

[Lottie4]

If your daughter has started her periods, was it a similar age to you? I started the same age as my Mum and was speaking to some friends recently who said they all started within a year of their Mum.

[Dancergirl]

muminwestlondon is that true about lacking dad? How can environment affect physical changes?

[MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic]

This is pretty interesting as I'm not sure whether I'm worrying unnecessarily about DD starting hers early (she's just turned 9)

My Mum was a late starter, around 17 iirc. I would have been 12ish (Yr7) and my sister would have been a year younger (sometime when she was still in Yr6)

DD has very light underarm hair, and gets whiffy on occasion and, although she has no boobs atm, she's started developing (tender breast buds) and is getting more 'hippy' iyswim. What worries me is she's been getting belly aches off and on - not being ill, just being a bit crampy. Getting her period whilst in Yr4 would be a pita for her so I hope it holds off for a few more years. She's well aware of what's what and we've talked about what her belly aches could mean so she is prepared, but still...

[MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic]

Should say that whilst DD is only 9, she's the size of a 12yo, albeit a fairly skinny one!

[Hulababy]

Not sure about the dad relationship link.
DD has a fantastic relationship with her dad - so def not the case here.

[Muminwestlondon]

Here...

newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/09/17/puberty/

Personally I don't agree...

[Groovee]

My gran started at 11, my mum started at 12 and I started a month after my 13th birthday. Dd has just started her period a few weeks before her 13th birthday.

[Hulababy]

Apparently 3 girls in DD's Y6 started over the Christmas holidays - so must be something in the water! The other two are 11y, DD is 10y.

[perceptionreality]

Interesting Hula - isn't it the case that girls are supposed to have cycles that are in sync when they spend a lot of time together? Or is that an old wives tale?

[ArielThePiraticalMermaid]

Me, my mum and my sister were 13. My grandma was 16!

[FloweryDrawers]

My Mum was 14
I was 13
Dd1 had just turned 11
Dd2 has just turned 11 and is v. hormonal but nothing yet.

[FloweryDrawers]

In dd1's case, the 7 stone thing definitely doesn't apply, btw. She was well below that when she started, and (at 14) is still just over 6.5 stone. But after 3 years of periods she's only just now starting to get them regularly every month, instead of 3-4 month gaps. So maybe that's a weight thing.

[Hulababy]

perceptionreality - I have no idea tbh. There are only 12 girls in DD's class - so 3 equates to 1/4 of the class. And all in Y6, so primary, still within normal range but all still very much at the lower age range. And all within a fortnight of one another. Ages are 10y8m, 11y1m, 11y3m.

[perceptionreality]

I had been thinking that as I started at 14, my dds won't have to worry about it until then but seems you can't tell for sure then? Dd2 is 9 and she cried when I recently explained to her that this would happen. 14 is on the later side I suppose - I remember most of my friends being 12/13.