Now, girls hit puberty at 10 years

New Delhi, April 26: Now, girls are reaching puberty, two years earlier. The age of attaining sexual maturity among a girl, when she changes physically, hormonally and sexually has dipped, especially in urban India, to 10 years from 12-13 earlier, not just in India but globally.

A study published in the Lancet on Wednesday says the age of 18 years clearly no longer signifies adulthood.

According to it, the earlier onset of puberty has increased the window of risk associated with adolescence. It said previous generations of parents viewed the physical changes of puberty as being of greatest significance with raging hormones being blamed for much of adolescent bad behaviour.

Professor Susan Sawyer and George Patton (Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne and University of Melbourne) say, "Puberty is increasingly recognized as a significant physiological event that catapults adolescents into higher risk for a range of health-related behaviours like mental disorders and substance use," said the study.

Dr Rajiv Chhabra, chief of pediatrics at the Artemis Health Institute, agrees with the findings. He said the phenomenon is leaving girls with well-developed bodies, which they're not emotionally equipped to handle. "Premature puberty is becoming common among girls in India. Lifestyle and dietary changes could be fuelling this trend. Vegetables and eggs containing hormones like oxytocin can hasten puberty. Earlier, we would tell parents to teach a girl the concept of menstrual cycle when she turns 13. Now, we ask parents to talk about it to their 10-year-old daughters," said Dr Chhabra.