Tweens Growth & Development Understanding Early Puberty Signs to Look for and How Your Child May Be Affected By Rebecca Fraser-Thill Rebecca Fraser-Thill LinkedIn Twitter Rebecca Fraser-Thill holds a Master's Degree in developmental psychology and writes about child development and tween parenting. Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 09, 2022 Medically reviewed by Tyra Tennyson Francis, MD Medically reviewed by Tyra Tennyson Francis, MD LinkedIn Tyra Tennyson Francis, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician and currently serves as the medical director of an outpatient clinic. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Steve Debenport / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Signs Causes Effects on Your Child Diagnosis and Treatment How to Offer Support Typical adolescent puberty occurs when a child is around 10 or 11 years old. However, there are children who start to physically and emotionally develop into young adults earlier. When this happens before the age of 7 or 8 years old (for girls) and age 9 (for boys), it is labeled precocious puberty, or early puberty. Early puberty may seem innocuous, or even advantageous when it comes to sports where size gives kids a leg up. But researchers have associated a number of health and psychological consequences of reaching puberty too early in life. Signs of Early Puberty For girls, true precocious puberty includes the following signs before the age of 7 or 8 years old: Development of breastsGrowth of pubic or underarm hairHaving a significant growth spurt in a short amount of timeStarting menstruationDevelopment of acneBody odor For boys, precocious puberty includes the following signs before the age of 9 years: Enlargement of the testicles or penisThe growth of pubic, underarm, or facial hairHaving a significant growth spurt in a short amount of timeDeepening of the voiceDevelopment of acneBody odor There are many children that may show only some signs of early puberty. For example, some girls and boys may grow underarm hair or pubic hair at a very young age without any other sexual development. The early hair growth may be "partial" precocious puberty, and not a sign of any underlying conditions. These children will show the other expected signs of puberty later on and at the usual age. Causes Although the exact reason behind early puberty is uncertain, some instances of precocious puberty have been attributed to: Genetics (5% of boys and 1% of girls inherit the condition)Early nutritional problems followed by obesityEnvironmental or chemical exposureStructural problems in the brain or central nervous system injuriesA problem in the ovaries or thyroid gland, such as a tumor Usually, starting puberty early is not due to any medical problem. There is simply no known reason for why it happens. How It May Affect Your Child There are a number of physical, emotional, and social consequences of going through puberty early. Each child, of course, will experience this transition period differently. Stunted Growth A child that is going through puberty may at first be quite tall when compared with their peers. However, the child will stop growing when puberty ends. This means that a child with precocious puberty will not reach their full height potential because their skeleton matures and bone growth stops at an earlier age than it normally should. Behavioral Changes For girls, irritability, emotional outbursts, and moodiness can accompany early puberty. Boys may experience an emergence of a sex drive inappropriate for their age, along with aggressive behavior. Bullying or Teasing by Others Young children may not notice or understand what is happening when someone of their same age is developing breasts or getting their period. Older children, however, typically notice if someone in a lower grade is physically developing ahead of them. Many younger children experiencing precocious puberty—girls in particular—report being teased or bullied by older children at school. Higher Rates of Depression and Anxiety Children who experience early puberty have higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to their peers. This effect is found consistently in girls, but findings involving boys are less clear. Perhaps most disturbingly, the enhanced risk of depression and anxiety may stretch all the way into the college years. Lower Self-Esteem and Body Image Girls who mature early also tend to suffer from lower self-esteem and poorer body image than their friends who mature on time or late. Early developing boys seem to avoid these negative effects. Greater Risk of Substance Abuse Girls and boys who experience precocious puberty may also be at greater risk of abusing substances. Smoking, in particular, seems to be much more common among children who mature early compared to their on-time or late-maturing peers. Some studies indicate that increased substance abuse risk extends into the early twenties. Earlier Sexual Activity Reaching puberty early may also put a child at risk of earlier sexual activity compared to their peers. Early sexual activity is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy. Teen pregnancy comes with its own concerns, including a higher drop-out rate, a potential for lower lifetime income, and an increased risk of having more children while still a teen. Poorer Academic Outcomes Finally, some studies find that girls who experience early puberty do poorer in school compared to their peers. Their decreased academic achievement may extend through the high school years and possibly beyond. Like the self-esteem and body image findings, those related to academic outcomes seem to be restricted to girls; boys do just as well academically regardless of when they hit puberty. Diagnosis and Treatment Do not hesitate to talk to your child's doctor if you start to see signs of early puberty. Your pediatrician may order further testing for your child once they have performed a physical exam. These tests may include X-rays to check the bones of the hand and wrist to see if the bones are maturing too fast. Blood and urine tests can assess levels of sex hormones. To rule out tumors in the brain, ovaries or testicles, the pediatrician may also suggest a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Your child may also be referred to a pediatric endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in growth and hormonal disorders in children) for further evaluation and treatment. Because, in most cases, there is no identifiable cause for precocious puberty, treatment is not always recommended. If there is a diagnosis, the goal may either be to treat the underlying cause (i.e. a tumor) or provide hormone therapy to lower the production of sex hormones. These two approaches work to stop or reverse early sexual development and halt the bone maturation and rapid growth that comes with precocious puberty. How to Best Support Your Child You can best care and support your child by giving simple and truthful explanations about what is happening to their body. You may want to provide guidance in the following way: Describe the types of changes that are happening and what to expect along the way.Explain that the changes they are experiencing are normal for older kids and teens.Keep your child informed about the treatment plan if there is one. Be sure to watch for signs of:Teasing or bullyingPoor gradesProblems at schoolLoss of interest in daily activitiesWithdrawn or depressed behavior The goal of creating a supportive environment is to encourage your child to come to you if they are having a difficult time with any of the physical, emotional, or social difficulties of precocious puberty. Try not to comment on how your child's appearance is changing. Since sports participation has been positively linked to higher self-esteem, encouraging your child to participate in sports or school activities may help to counter some of the negative effects of early puberty. If you think your child may be having a hard time with this change, speak to her pediatrician and/or a therapist for more guidance. 3 Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Walvoord EC. The timing of puberty: Is it changing? Does it matter?. J Adolesc Health. 2010;47(5):433-439. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.05.018 Mendle J, Turkheimer E, Emery RE. Detrimental psychological outcomes associated with early pubertal timing in adolescent girls. Dev Rev. 2007;27(2):151-171. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2006.11.001 Santelli JS, Orr M, Lindberg LD, Diaz DC. Changing behavioral risk for pregnancy among high school students in the United States. J Adolesc Health. 2009;45(1):25-32. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.04.017 Additional Reading Biro FM, Galvez MP, Greenspan LC, et al. Pubertal assessment method and baseline characteristics in a mixed longitudinal study of girls. Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):e583–e590. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3079 Lazzeri G, Tosti C, Pammolli A, et al. Overweight and lower age at menarche: evidence from the Italian HBSC cross-sectional survey. BMC Women's Health. 2018;18(1):168. doi:10.1186/s12905-018-0659-0 By Rebecca Fraser-Thill Rebecca Fraser-Thill holds a Master's Degree in developmental psychology and writes about child development and tween parenting. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit