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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle

Published on: August 30, 2021

Pubertal development in girls: secular trends.

Paul Kaplowitz¹

¹Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. pkaplowi@cnmc.org

Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology

|August 26, 2006

Summary

Recent studies show puberty and menarche are occurring earlier, particularly in the US, possibly due to increased childhood obesity. Early pubertal onset in girls often represents normal variation, not pathology.

Area of Science:

Pediatric endocrinology
Public health trends
Human growth and development

Background:

Secular trends in pubertal timing are debated globally.
Conflicting data exists regarding the onset of puberty and menarche over recent decades.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent international studies on secular trends in puberty and menarche onset.
To analyze conflicting data on the timing of pubertal development.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies from the US and other global regions.
Analysis of data on the age of puberty onset and menarche from approximately 1960 to the present.

Main Results:

US studies indicate a 0.5-1.0 year decrease in puberty onset over 40 years; black girls mature earlier than white girls.

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Published on: October 13, 2018

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Determination of Reproductive Competence by Confirming Pubertal Onset and Performing a Fertility Assay in Mice and Rats

Determination of Reproductive Competence by Confirming Pubertal Onset and Performing a Fertility Assay in Mice and Rats

Published on: October 13, 2018

A smaller decrease of approximately 0.2 years is observed in the mean age at menarche.

Increased childhood obesity prevalence is the most probable cause for these observed trends.

Conclusions:

The threshold for evaluating early pubertal onset (before age 8) may need reevaluation.
Most early-maturing girls fall within the normal range of pubertal timing.
Focus should shift to the rate of pubertal progression alongside the age of onset.