Blowing my mind-the historical average age of puberty in girls between 15-18

[FairProspects]

This is what I'm wondering about. I always thought it was fairly common for girls to marry, and start having children, in their early teen's way back then.

 

I can't speak for Rome or antiquity, but this is actually a common misconception about the mid-late 1800s and early 1900s. I do research for a Living History museum, and we have spent quite a bit of time working on the Oregon Territory census records (which record age at time of marriage), and with the exception of a few younger brides taken to get larger land claims, the average age of marriage even by the 1840s is 18-early 20s.

[AnitaMcC]

You lucky dog!! ;)

 

 

LOL, but I had it more often. Instead of a 28 day cycle with 5 days of period. I had it every 21 days, and I had heavy periods.

 

The last few years it hadn't been so easy. Had to have ablation done and now I feel lucky. Just a light period every 2-3 months.

[OrganicAnn]

I always thought climate was one of the many factors. Warm climates girls had puberty earlier than colder climate. I don't remember if I read this somewhere or where I hear it.

 

I also thought diet/exercise would very important. Particularly protein. You see women who are long distance runners who stop having periods because of their bodies directing energy to their muscles.

 

Genetic I would guess naturally plays a large roll.

 

Who know what other factors of modern life might also contribute to it.

[Julie Smith]

I once read a factor was, um, trying to figure out how to phase this.

 

But something along the lines of a woman's body will know if it 'needs' to start 'growing up' in order to get a male. And if that girl is always around males or other any other things that might make her body think it needs to start 'growing up' - then it will do so.

 

Society's where a girl is usually around a strong father role model, not many other older males, and no images - or encouragement to change will change at a later date that other societies set up differently.

 

I wish I know what book I read the theory in. I hope I am explaining the THEORY in a non offense way and hopefully someone else will know what I'm talking about and better explain it.

 

I am also only talking on a society wide scale. And it MIGHT only be one thing effected the earlier menstrual rates. The author had examples that backed up his/her theory.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Julie Smith

[mcconnellboys]

I think EDC's are also probably the culprits in increased rates of reproductive cysts and cancers in young girls today, too, as well as problems for boys....

 

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.113-a670

 

http://www.rense.com/general41/pcb.htm

[lauracolumbus]

I agree that it is mostly due to fat and the hormones stored in fat.

 

Very rarely will a truly thin child start menstruating early. I don't just mean starving thin, I mean just plain thin. You have GOT to have a certain amount of fat to start menstruating, and girls are getting fatter earlier than ever.

 

 

This has not been our experience even though my pediatrician assured me my dd wouldn't start until she weighed closer to 100 lbs. She's 11 and weighs 80 lbs, tall for her age ( Idon't know her height off hand), but she grew 5 inches in the past year. She started her period last month. I was completely caught off guard and did a bit of research. One site said that it's nearly impossible to know if girls are starting their periods earlier b/c there were very few studies done in earlier times--it's mostly anecdotal or too small of groups to come up w/any definitive answer.

 

Laura

[Mejane]

In a segment on Science Friday today, a researcher noted that the earlier age of menarche in our culture may be due to fat.

 

One thing is worth noting: female athletes often quit menstruating. There is a theory that this is due to reduced body fat.

 

All of this leads to another question for those who are skeptical of the article: how do you explain amenorrhea in female athletes?

 

:iagree: My dd, a serious ballet student, started late and has skipped periods. She suffered a stress fracture last year, and her osteopathic physician said the lack of stored estrogen due to low body fat tricks the body into thinking it is in menopause and causes leaching of calcium from the bones leading to fractures, as well as late menarche and missed periods. Dd measured at 6% body fat. Sounds desirable, but apparently it's not really something to shoot for.

[Tohru]

One other thing that no one has mentioned is the pheromones. When a group of girls/women live together, after awhile they generally start cycling together too. This may be part of the cause, earlier because they are around other girls that are, and those girls started early because of genetics.

 

I know in 6th grade almost all of us girls in that class started that year.

 

And then of course there is the infamous Blume book Are You There God, It's Me Margaret that discusses the issue and the girls in the story were all 12.

 

Going back to the Middle Ages, I remember one of the English queens was 12 when she had her son that later became King, but I can't remember which one.

[momofkhm]

now *THAT* makes total sense.

 

Wow, we've really screwed it up, haven't we?

 

 

 

Read here-but don't if you don't feel like having your blood pressure rise.

 

My understanding is that it's due in part to better nutrition. Someone once told me it has to do with the sexual images they see as well, but that one seems off to me.

[lmkzbcb]

:iagree: My dd, a serious ballet student, started late and has skipped periods. She suffered a stress fracture last year, and her osteopathic physician said the lack of stored estrogen due to low body fat tricks the body into thinking it is in menopause and causes leaching of calcium from the bones leading to fractures, as well as late menarche and missed periods. Dd measured at 6% body fat. Sounds desirable, but apparently it's not really something to shoot for.

 

Very sorry for your daughter

 

However, dh must know this is exactly why I need to maintain my weight OR maybe even gain weight !! <<insert evil maniacle laugh>>

Edited May 9, 2011 by lmkzbcb

[Green Vixen]

I am not going to argue the merit of the author's arguement but I am willing to follow the recomendations to insure my daughters health. It's not like he is asking us to do anything that goes against common sense; more vegetables, less animal fat, and more physical activity. With the skyrocketing cases of obesity and diabetes in kids, these suggestions will provide children with a lifestyle that will keep them healthy through adulthood.

 

Marisa

 

Recomendations from posters article:

 

• Children's diets should focus on whole plant foods rather than animal foods -- this will keep protein intake in a safe range and reduce their consumption of EDCs.
  
• Minimize dairy products in children's diets -- use almond and hemp milks instead of cows' milk
  
• Encourage children to exercise and exercise with them.
  
• Minimize processed foods -- these are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor, and they promote obesity and other diseases.
  
• Children's diets should include a wide variety of natural plant foods as possible including, green vegetables, squashes, corn, carrots, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, avocados, beans, fruits and whole grains. This means that healthy eating is a lifetime event.
  
• Buy organic produce when possible to avoid synthetic pesticides.
  
• Minimize children's exposure to BPA: Avoid using of rigid polycarbonate plastics (recycling label #7) whenever possible; Do not use plastic water bottles if they are old or scratched; Do not microwave in plastic containers; Minimize the use of canned foods and avoid canned infant formulas.32
  
• Minimize children's exposure to phthalates:Avoid plastics marked with recycling label #3 (PVC) whenever possible; Check ingredient lists on personal care products for phthalates. Also be aware that "fragrance" listed as an ingredient often means that the products contains phthalates. For more information, visit the Environmental Working Group's guide to children's personal care products.
  

 

[mamakimberly]

In China' date=' the woman's cycle is publicly posted. How anxious would you be to let the world know? It's all part of their population control. This may be why the starting age is higher. [/quote']

 

Do you have a source for that? Because I lived in China for the last 3 1/2 years (2007-2010) and I never saw anyone's cycle publicly posted!

 

I started young (9? 10?) and I think my daughter is gearing up to start in the next year. She's 8 1/2. I won't be surprised if she starts in the next 6 months based on other body changes she's had.

[Janie Grace]

I was 16 when I started. I was thin, but was never told I was "underweight." We ate fine -- my mother is British and so she wasn't familiar with all of the American processed, convenience foods. Lots of meat, potato and veggie meals -- with the meat in small quantities b/c that was what we could afford. Milk to drink. Also plenty of ice cream. :)

 

My dd12 show no signs of starting anytime soon. I'm glad. Developing later was a blessing (in terms of having the maturity to know how to handle the attention I was suddenly getting from guys), although at the time I thought I was "barren" or something.

[Peela]

I really suspect dairy. We have abundant access to and consumption of dairy- whether or not it is pasteurized etc- dairy is from cows. Unless you lived on or next to a dairy farm, before refrigeration, especially if you were in a city, access to milk was limited. We take it for granted that dairy is ok for us but cow's milk is designed for baby cows, and produces rapid growth in a calf. Our increase in height and weight can be associated to introducing milk in schools in the early 20th century in many places (read something about it recently). It did overcome a lot of health issues and created larger body structure- not surprising again because milk is designed for rapid growth in calves. But its also not surprising that there are other issues associated with the widespread consumption of cows milk, especially as it became more processed although I am not even sure how relevant that is.

Milk has growth hormones naturally in it. Not even counting the ones added nowadays. Early puberty could easily be associated with drinking milk alone, statistically, I bet (not in every case but generally).

Add that to increased consumption of meat, a high density food- and while we can boast increased nutrition in a certain way- because meat and dairy are high density foods- the ramifications might be what we are seeing. Early puberty is not the only problem facing our western societies- a whole generation is about to die earlier than its parents because of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. Increased nutrition is not necessarily a good thing- it may well have associated consequences if the nutrition is animal based or if the calories are consistently high .

 

In fact, sugar consumption in all its forms of simple carbohydrates consumed so freely nowadays, may affect all the hormonal systems, including reproductory, since all the endocrine systems are related. They are not all isolated systems in the body although our medical model treats them as such. Since sugar consumption has increased many, many times in the last 100 years, there may be a hormonal consequence to that, too, beyond diabetes. I know there is a relationship between sugar and menstruation but I don't understand it- simply because my dd gets intense flooding and cramps when she eats sugar while menstruating.

 

I do find it a very interesting topic, though.

 

My periods started just before I turned 14.

My daughter's- just before she turned 15. Her half sister- when she was 15. We realise that is unusually late and they were later than all their friends- by years.

We have a low dairy and low meat, high plant based diet. But any single family is not really evidence for anything.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Peela

[Janie Grace]

My periods started just before I turned 14.

My daughter's- just before she turned 15. Her half sister- when she was 15. We realise that is unusually late and they were later than all their friends- by years.

We have a low dairy and low meat, high plant based diet. But any single family is not really evidence for anything.

 

You're Australian, right? I'm another late starter (as I just posted, I was 16 -- my mom was 14) and my parents are both British (moved to the states when I was young). Do you think this has anything to do with it? Do Americans consume more meat and milk that others?

[Paige]

The fact that a certain level of body fat is needed to maintain menstruation does not prove that more fat causes early menstruation. There's a critical level of body fat needed to maintain female cycles, but once that threshold is passed, I do not believe more fat makes much difference. Actually, isn't it true that very obese women have trouble maintaining cycles too? Ok...looked it up and it is true. So, by that logic, higher BMIs should lead to delayed menstruation!

 

I wonder about the studies that show kids usually start a few months before their mothers did. How can this trend persist or be put out as an explanation?? It is unsustainable unless we expect babies to be born menstruating in 500 years!

 

I am also very suspicious of the first article's data. Saying 30% of girls start their periods before age 8? I don't believe it. My son is 9, almost 10. My girls are 7. I know lots of girls between the ages of 7-10 and no way are 30% of them or more menstruating. Most haven't even started needing bras. Here is an article on the topic that is less sensational but more trustworthy, IMO of course. It claims that girls are not actually starting periods in much earlier than they have since the industrialization. "From the early 1800s to the mid-1950s, menarche occured at increasingly younger ages in the United States, but there has been no further decline in the last 40 to 50 years."

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/5/2245

[cathmom]

He talks about 2 different things in the article though - the beginning of breasts and the age of first period. Those things are usually separated by several years. Are the girls who are starting to menstruate at 8 and 9 beginning to develop breasts at 6 and 7?

 

My pattern exactly followed my mother's.

[cathmom]

I am also very suspicious of the first article's data. Saying 30% of girls start their periods before age 8? I don't believe it. My son is 9, almost 10. My girls are 7. I know lots of girls between the ages of 7-10 and no way are 30% of them or more menstruating. Most haven't even started needing bras. Here is an article on the topic that is less sensational but more trustworthy, IMO of course. It claims that girls are not actually starting periods in much earlier than they have since the industrialization. "From the early 1800s to the mid-1950s, menarche occured at increasingly younger ages in the United States, but there has been no further decline in the last 40 to 50 years."

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/5/2245

 

You missed that he was just talking about beginning puberty (beginning to develop breasts) NOT menstruation. I think he did that deliberately to shock.

[talk2ham.1]

I would like to know who comes up with these "average" ages and how they figure them out from decades and centuries ago? I mean, who kept the records? What class of society did the records represent? What were their occupations? What were their ethnic backgrounds? What varieties of foods were available to them? What percentage of these stats were affected by genetics? Who actually told their doctors what ages they started developing breasts? In the 1830s, weren't people a whole lot more reserved about such things? Plus, they did after all wear a whole lot of clothes that would've hidden breast development more than the thin, cling fabrics we wear now that make early breast development so much more obvious. And well visits were not common. It was more about going to the doctor when you were sick, but not when you were well. So, who's to say it's really what was normal?

 

Is there really enough evidence to come to these conclusions? I'm not saying they are wrong. I'm just saying the science, as presented in this article, has a lot of gaps. So far, I'm not convinced one way or another.

 

I will say that those of you who are saying thin or fat is the reason for early puberty is not what the author of the article was saying. He said, "low nutrient diets". You can have a low nutrient diet that results in skinny malnutrition. Or you can have a low nutrient diet that results in obesity. And you can have a great metabolism that hides that you have a low nutrient diet over all. So nobody's solving anything by quoting your weights and heights at any given age. It would be more helpful to consider what kinds of foods you ate on average to compare it to the theories presented in the article to see if it holds water.

[Paige]

You missed that he was just talking about beginning puberty (beginning to develop breasts) NOT menstruation. I think he did that deliberately to shock.

 

Ahh, you're right. The other article says that breast buds (the start of puberty) usually precedes menstruation by about 3yrs. I think an 8yr old starting to get breast buds and then menstruating around 11 is perfectly normal and not sensational in the least. But then, I was a skinny (low weight and low BMI) kid who started getting breast buds around 7 or 8. And, he's probably further sensationalizing by saying beginning breast development....most girls aren't needing bras the first year or so after getting breast buds. I do think that being overweight can cause the breast buds to appear more breast like- just like heavier boys and men can appear to have man boobs!

[talk2ham.1]

Ahh, you're right. The other article says that breast buds (the start of puberty) usually precedes menstruation by about 3yrs. I think an 8yr old starting to get breast buds and then menstruating around 11 is perfectly normal and not sensational in the least. But then, I was a skinny (low weight and low BMI) kid who started getting breast buds around 7 or 8. And, he's probably further sensationalizing by saying beginning breast development....most girls aren't needing bras the first year or so after getting breast buds. I do think that being overweight can cause the breast buds to appear more breast like- just like heavier boys and men can appear to have man boobs!

 

:iagree:

[Tap]

As pure speculation...no real or fake data to back me up....LOL

 

 

What if.....

 

starting younger is normal, and historical cycles were delayed due to health issues or poor nutrition combined with hard physical labor (similar to athletes starting late now). While they had more whole food choices, they only had what was available seasonally and ate food much past its prime due to limited availability. We have all heard about the theory that fermented grains are the source of much of the Witch Trial issues.

 

 

What if.....

 

I am coming at this from the idea that there are more boys born in years/times of war, presumably as a way that mother nature keeps the equilibrium between the sexes.

 

since we are having children later....it is mother nature's way to increase the time a girl is fertile so they are more likely to conceive.

[cathmom]

Has a comparison been done with other primates? I've seen comparisons about breastfeeding done with primates - was it chimpanzees who have a life span of about 30 years and nurse babies until they are 3? It would be interesting to see when primate females become fertile.

[Peela]

You're Australian, right? I'm another late starter (as I just posted, I was 16 -- my mom was 14) and my parents are both British (moved to the states when I was young). Do you think this has anything to do with it? Do Americans consume more meat and milk that others?

 

Unfortunately the average age here is getting lower and lower also so I don't know about that. Dd's 2 best friends were 11 and 12 and that is normal. They thought she was so lucky starting 3 years later than them!

 

What about....a psychological component. We know that children are being sexualised in the media from a very young age- and that many take that on. I can't see how that would affect them physically but it seems strangely coincidental.

[Eleni]

Once I noted the article was written by Joel Fuhrman I didn't have to read it because I knew what it would say.

 

The man has some valid points, but also remember he is pushing an agenda. The majority of his articles are published on sites promoting veganism as well.

[Alessandra]

Going back to the Middle Ages, I remember one of the English queens was 12 when she had her son that later became King, but I can't remember which one.

 

Margaret Beaufort had the future Henry VII at age 13 -- but she almost died in the process.

 

The wife of Henry IV had a child at 12 -- the child lived only a few days.

[Teachin'Mine]

Do you have a source for that? Because I lived in China for the last 3 1/2 years (2007-2010) and I never saw anyone's cycle publicly posted!

 

 

 

I'm assuming you were in an area with other foreigners? I don't think this would be done in main tourist areas like Guangzhou and Beijing and other main cities, but we were told it was commonly done in other areas. When we were in a smaller city, we were able to walk around fairly freely, except when it came to turning off the main street with all the shopping and trying to go where the apartments were. There were armed guards there, and while we didn't understand what they were saying, it was quite clear that we were not allowed beyond the "tourist" area. That was almost 14 years ago, so things have undoubtedly changed now.

 

I'm googling to get some info. Here's one - read the fifth paragraph.

 

http://www.eugenics-watch.com/roots/chap15.html

 

We had been told that the lists were kept in apartment buildings or apartment complexes, but this one mentions them kept at work.

 

ETA: Found lots, but want a reputable site so I googled for NY Times. This one mentions them kept where they live:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/25/world/birth-control-in-china-coercion-and-evasion.html

 

This article is from 1995, so I'm not sure if things have changed. Honestly, probably not.

 

So with this being done, how ready would you be to announce that your daughter has begun her period? That's why I thought that the ages given for China are probably not reliable. Actually, when I've researched, I found that Asian girls generally reach maturity at a younger age than others.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Teachin'Mine

[Margaret in GA]

In a segment on Science Friday today, a researcher noted that the earlier age of menarche in our culture may be due to fat.

 

One thing is worth noting: female athletes often quit menstruating. There is a theory that this is due to reduced body fat.

 

All of this leads to another question for those who are skeptical of the article: how do you explain amenorrhea in female athletes?

:iagree:

I just finished reading the Is Sugar Toxic article from NYT which was discussed on this board earlier.

 

I am really wondering if it is sugar (the over consumption of which leads not just to obesity but stored fat around the liver) . They have noticed a correlation between higher cancer rates, diabetes, and increased sugar consumption which mimic the Early Puberty article's dates on earlier and earlier menarche:

...One observation is that death rates from cancer, like those from diabetes, increased significantly in the second half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th...

 

...In 1924, Haven Emerson, director of the institute of public health at Columbia University, reported that diabetes deaths in New York City had increased as much as 15-fold since the Civil War years, and that deaths increased as much as fourfold in some U.S. cities between 1900 and 1920 alone. This coincided, he noted, with an equally significant increase in sugar consumption — almost doubling from 1890 to the early 1920s — with the birth and subsequent growth of the candy and soft-drink industries...

 

I don't think the plastics we are exposed to help at all. Nor do the hormones in our meat and dairy. Nor the pesticides we are eating and breathing.

 

Margaret

[Julie Smith]

 

 

What if.....

 

I am coming at this from the idea that there are more boys born in years/times of war, presumably as a way that mother nature keeps the equilibrium between the sexes.

 

 

 

Please note this is over a very large population sample.

 

I read that the reason more boys are bone after major wars is that taller males are more likely to live through a war. Taller males are more likely to father boys.

 

Taller men are more likely to have more money and more power then shorter men. Taller men when entering the war, due to that power / education / money are more likely to have leadership roles that don't have them on the front line. Because they aren't on the front line they are more likely to survive. So that means after a major war we are left with more tall men who then father more boys.

 

Now to go look up the book that talked about this theory and ofter ones like it.

[Joker]

I don't know about the milk and animal fat idea. I grew up drinking milk like crazy - whole milk. I would even wake in the middle of the night and drink a glass. We had some form of fried meat at every meal and our veggies only came out of a can. I wasn't overweight but I wasn't super skinny either. I hit puberty later than pretty much all of my peers and didn't have my first period until the summer before my sophomore year of high school.

 

My older dd doesn't eat meat and drinks very little milk (she does like greek yogurt and cheese) and she had buds at 8 and will probably start sometime this year at 11.

[MamaBearTeacher]

I think that age of starting one's period is mostly genetic (comes either from mother's or father's side). Genetics are the biggest factor that will determine at what age a girl starts. If other factors (nutrition, fat, hormones, sugar, dairy) have an influence they will be much smaller in comparison with the influence of genetics AND they will impact a population on the whole rather than an individual case. So, if a girl eats hormone-laden food or if she if she is fed organic will not have a huge influence over when she gets her period - maybe a few months, maybe none at all. It may have an influence over several generations. Who knows? I agree with posters who say we cannot really trust research on this matter from 100 years ago. Also, there are differences between ethnicities for age of starting one's period and the ethnic makeup of the country has changed significantly over the past 100 years.

[Rosie_0801]

Genetics seems to explain my mother and I both starting at 16. But her mother started at 9. If I go with the animal protein theory, Nan was eating a lot more bread and dripping than either Mum or I, lol.

 

Rosie

[Tohru]

I think that age of starting one's period is mostly genetic (comes either from mother's or father's side). Genetics are the biggest factor that will determine at what age a girl starts. If other factors (nutrition, fat, hormones, sugar, dairy) have an influence they will be much smaller in comparison with the influence of genetics AND they will impact a population on the whole rather than an individual case. So, if a girl eats hormone-laden food or if she if she is fed organic will not have a huge influence over when she gets her period - maybe a few months, maybe none at all. It may have an influence over several generations. Who knows? I agree with posters who say we cannot really trust research on this matter from 100 years ago. Also, there are differences between ethnicities for age of starting one's period and the ethnic makeup of the country has changed significantly over the past 100 years.

:iagree:

 

 

The other thing that I read was the later you started your cycles, the earlier you hit menopause, the earlier you started your cycles, the later menopause....all genetics.

[Shellers]

My mom started when she was 15. - she was tall and underweight

I started when I was 13 - I was tall and slightly overweight

DD #1 started at 12 - she was on the short side and average weight

DD #2 started at 12 - she was very short and slightly overweight

DD #3 is almost 14 - still waiting to get her period. She is very tall at 5' 9" and slightly overweight

 

I always blamed processed meats but my youngest loves hotdogs and my oldest barely eats meat, go figure.

 

My Grandma told me girls who are born premature will get their periods earlier than full term babies. All my kids were full term.

 

 

t

[Lovedtodeath]

My Grandma told me girls who are born premature will get their periods earlier than full term babies. All my kids were full term.

 

I was a twin born at 30 weeks and barely survived. I developed breasts very late and also started my periods very late at 15. 1991

 

I also ate lots of Cocoa Wheats, Pop-tarts, milk, roast beef, etc.

[Melissa in Australia]

I think that age of starting one's period is mostly genetic (comes either from mother's or father's side). Genetics are the biggest factor that will determine at what age a girl starts. .

:iagree:

 

For 5 generations , all women have started at age 9-10. I was 9, and fairly underweight. My daughter seems to be taking after DH's family, she is 11 and hasn't started.

Interestingly, my oldest ds started shaving at 12, and grew to his height of 6'3" at 12 in this he is taking after my brothers ( not in the total height, but in reaching how tall they will grow by 12 and shaving). His younger brother hasn't started shaving yet at 15, and hasn't quite reached 6' and is still growing (Dh was the same at that age)

[mamakimberly]

I'm assuming you were in an area with other foreigners? I don't think this would be done in main tourist areas like Guangzhou and Beijing and other main cities' date=' but we were told it was commonly done in other areas. When we were in a smaller city, we were able to walk around fairly freely, except when it came to turning off the main street with all the shopping and trying to go where the apartments were. There were armed guards there, and while we didn't understand what they were saying, it was quite clear that we were not allowed beyond the "tourist" area. That was almost 14 years ago, so things have undoubtedly changed now.

 

I'm googling to get some info. Here's one - read the fifth paragraph.

 

http://www.eugenics-watch.com/roots/chap15.html

 

We had been told that the lists were kept in apartment buildings or apartment complexes, but this one mentions them kept at work.

 

ETA: Found lots, but want a reputable site so I googled for NY Times. This one mentions them kept where they live:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/25/world/birth-control-in-china-coercion-and-evasion.html

 

This article is from 1995, so I'm not sure if things have changed. Honestly, probably not.

 

So with this being done, how ready would you be to announce that your daughter has begun her period? That's why I thought that the ages given for China are probably not reliable. Actually, when I've researched, I found that Asian girls generally reach maturity at a younger age than others.[/quote']

 

I lived in Tianjin, which is not exactly known for a robust foreign population. I'd be surprised if this is a widespread thing in China. I've certainly never seen it in action or heard any Chinese friends complain about it or even discuss it.

 

In a small village with people who are not following the one-child policy, I could see that being implemented, but it isn't a widespread thing all around the country.

 

There are LOTS of sensationalistic articles about population control in China. Some of it is true, and much of it is false.

[LisaKinVA]

The other thing that I read was the later you started your cycles, the earlier you hit menopause, the earlier you started your cycles, the later menopause....all genetics.

 

I think this isn't true. My mom started her cycle at 13.5... started menapause at 52...lasted 10 years :( I started at 13.75, just hoping I don't have "the change" for 10 years.

 

Just like I heard that the more children you have, the earlier menapause sets in... not sure if that is true, either.

[Katiebug_1976]

I don't know.

 

My mom was 9 or 10 (4th grade)

 

I was 17 I think. Maybe 16. Jr year of high school.

 

My sister was 12 or 13.

 

This puts my mind at ease a little. I was always tall & thin and started when I was 14. Dd # 1 is shorter, over weight, and 15. She still hasn't started. Dd#2 is tall & thin and started just after her 12th b'day. Is there an age at which I should be concerned if nothing happens w/ dd#1? I'm so confused w/ all this girl/woman stuff!