Studies in US, Europe & China find boys start puberty at 9 - Polidicks

[quote] Boys are beginning puberty six months to two years earlier than in previous decades, mirroring a trend in girls, according to a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics—though the reasons aren't yet clear. The study, the first large-scale look at puberty in U.S. boys in 25 years, found that on average boys now undergo the first signs between the ages of 9 and 10. That compares with average ages of 11 years or more in a number of previous studies examined by the researchers. The trend was most pronounced in African-American boys, who start to develop the early signs of puberty, defined by genital enlargement, at 9.1 years. For Hispanic boys, the average is 10 years, and for white boys, 10.1 years, according to the study published online Saturday in the journal Pediatrics. Similar trends toward earlier puberty in boys have been seen in smaller U.S. studies, and in studies in Europe and China. But in general, there has been far less research on boys than on girls, for whom the trend toward earlier puberty is well documented. The new study "does validate the perception that boys are maturing earlier than they did 30 years ago," said Frank Biro, director of adolescent medicine at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, who wasn't involved in the latest study. "The next piece is why, and we are starting to look at that more carefully." In girls, earlier puberty is thought to be linked to rising obesity rates, since estrogen is stored in fat. But the connection isn't as clear in boys. Those in Saturday's study with a Body Mass Index below the 15th percentile began puberty later than those over the 85th percentile. But other studies have found that overweight boys tend to enter puberty later. "In boys, the link with obesity is murky at best," said Edward Reiter, a pediatric endocrinologist involved in the current study, which included 4,131 boys in 144 pediatric offices in 41 states. Studying early puberty in boys is challenging because the signs are less obvious than in girls, said Marcia Herman-Giddens, the study's lead investigator. Girls typically begin to develop breasts and grow substantially in height at the beginning of puberty, whereas the most noticeable changes in boys—growth spurts, voice changes and facial hair—usually occur near the end of puberty. The first sign, when the testicles double in size, "is so subtle that parents and boys themselves may not even realize it," said Dr. Herman-Giddens. Measuring testicular volume is not part of a typical pediatric exam, so physicians in the study needed to undergo training, as well as obtain informed consent from parents and assent from boys aged 7 and older. The physicians, part of the AAP's Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network, also evaluated the boys according to the five "Tanner" stages, a commonly used benchmark for development that measures penis enlargement and pubic hair, all of which progress differently. It is unclear why African-American boys start maturing earlier than whites and Hispanics. The trend has been seen in girls as well: A 2010 study led by Dr. Biro found that 23% of African-American girls have some breast development by age 7, compared with 10% of whites and 15% of Hispanics. "It could be biological or genetic or environmental. It could be something that African-American kids are being exposed to that white kids aren't. We really don't know," said Richard Wasserman, director of the PROS network. "We have raised as many questions as we've answered." It is also unclear whether earlier puberty has long-term health implications. Some research suggests that boys who mature early may run a higher risk of testicular cancer, just as girls may run a higher risk of breast cancer the longer they are exposed to estrogen. But that was beyond the scope of this study. Researchers also wonder about the social implications. "There is already a tremendous gap between sexual maturity and when the brain matures, and it's probably getting ever greater," said Dr. Herman-Giddens, who warns that it could be a recipe for more risky behavior. "If you look at three 12-year-olds, and one has a beard and a baritone and the other has some peach fuzz and the third is clearly prepubescent, which one would you say is older?" asked Dr. Biro. "We tend to judge teenagers by how old they look, but that doesn't mean they are socially mature. So it really behooves parents to be aware of who their kids are." [/quote] [url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444592704578066833550285830.html[/url]

I am 18, I don't have facial hair, and so on, fuck me, right?

The median age that masturbation is discovered.

becuase sex

9? ha ha ha i was having sex before i could walk

[QUOTE]The study, the first large-scale look at puberty in U.S. boys in 25 years, found that on average boys now undergo the first signs between the ages of 9 and 10. That compares with average ages of 11 years or more in a number of previous studies examined by the researchers. [/QUOTE] *jokes about growth hormones in McDonalds or some shit that will sound awful and disgusting*

[quote]The first sign, when the testicles double in size, "is so subtle that parents and boys themselves may not even realize it,"[/quote] Sounds pretty noticeable to me

[QUOTE=matt.ant;38603165]Sounds pretty noticeable to me[/QUOTE] I never noticed, maybe it'll happen soon. I wonder if this will have any implications for transgendered people.

[QUOTE]"If you look at three 12-year-olds, and one has a beard and a baritone..."[/QUOTE] Yup, add in 6' and that was me. Made dating just a leetle weird.

[QUOTE=matt.ant;38603165]Sounds pretty noticeable to me[/QUOTE] If you measure them every day, maybe.

So kids are mutating earlier? Interesting; I wonder what's been causing this trend early-onset puberty? Might be chemical in nature, since we flush away a lot of chems that end up entering the water cycle, though in that case we might need to look at flora and fauna in populated areas. Also, it's intriguing to know that African-Americans have earlier puberties than other races.

Maybe it's something to do with how feminine they are.

[QUOTE=ironman17;38603491]So kids are [B]mutating[/B] earlier? Interesting; I wonder what's been causing this trend early-onset puberty? Might be chemical in nature, since we flush away a lot of chems that end up entering the water cycle, though in that case we might need to look at flora and fauna in populated areas. Also, it's intriguing to know that African-Americans have earlier puberties than other races.[/QUOTE] No, they are not X-men :v:

[QUOTE=EpikMonster;38602629]I am 18, I don't have facial hair, and so on, fuck me, right?[/QUOTE] Sure, I mean I have no problem with no hair, more smooth

[QUOTE=matt.ant;38603165]Sounds pretty noticeable to me[/QUOTE] maybe if it happened overnight

I'm not surprised. That's about the age when kids gets their first crushes.

is this surprising? sidenote, i had a moustache by grade 8. that was the worst thing ever.

[QUOTE=ironman17;38603491] Also, it's intriguing to know that African-Americans have earlier puberties than other races.[/QUOTE] African American isn't a race, it's a demographic.

[QUOTE=Appellation;38603356]Yup, add in 6' and that was me. Made dating just a leetle weird.[/QUOTE] I'm sure they don't literally mean beard, rather than just a noticeable stubble...

I started puberty at age 10, I'm 18' now and aside from hair on the chin, beneath the nose and around the sideburns, I got nothing. I hate it when people tell me "oh you know shaving is annoying anyway", fuck you, I want to be annoyed aswell.

When I was in 9 years old I started getting pubes and I was like wtf

It's going to be freaky in a few decades when puberty starts at 5 years old.

Evolutionary, this bodes poorly for the human species. Reaching adolescence at a younger age results in a loss of time to learn the basic social principles of living, and can be linked to increased aggression and loss of social behavior in other species.

[QUOTE=FreakyMe;38607519]Evolutionary, this bodes poorly for the human species. Reaching adolescence at a younger age results in a loss of time to learn the basic social principles of living, and can be linked to increased aggression and loss of social behavior in other species.[/QUOTE] like you being a furry and not knowing basic social principles of not wanting to be an animal

Everyone wanted to be my friend in 3rd grade because I was growing mustache hair already.

I think I started puberty at 10 or 11.

[QUOTE=ironman17;38603491]So kids are mutating earlier? Interesting; I wonder what's been causing this trend early-onset puberty? Might be chemical in nature, since we flush away a lot of chems that end up entering the water cycle, though in that case we might need to look at flora and fauna in populated areas. Also, it's intriguing to know that African-Americans have earlier puberties than other races.[/QUOTE] [i]Is this this line for tin foil hats[/i]?

[QUOTE=SpasticPinoy;38607563]Everyone wanted to be my friend in 3rd grade because I was growing mustache hair already.[/QUOTE] All my Indian friends were born with pretty much full beards.

it could be because of their diets or something that they start early?

Could be because of the high stress environments that modern cultures tend to flourish in. High stress does indeed speed up puberty, because the body needs to be mature to deal with it. Or it could be the hormones that are found in food today, or any number of things.