More Girls Entering Puberty at a Very Young Age
by Amy Hatch
Apr 12th 2011
More and more parents are reaching for "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret" when choosing a bedtime story for their *********, thanks to a rise in the number of girls entering puberty early.
According to CBS's The Early Show, a study published last year in the journal Pediatrics reveals that 15 percent of all Caucasian girls are developing breasts and other outward signs of maturity by age seven. The rate among African-American ******** is even higher: 23 percent of girls are entering puberty early. The study looked at 1,239 girls and the results are double that of a 1997 study.
Dr. Jennifer Ashton is a medical correspondent for CBS and she tells The Early Show that the effects of precocious puberty are not "cute."
