Teens go through puberty sooner when their parents were early bloomers, according to a new study. Teens who developed early signs of adulthood changes such as the onset of pubic hair or menstruation tend to have parents who also matured early.
The Danish study observed the timing of puberty in 846 boys and 672 boys. The study examined medical records of kids' annual checkups from 2006 to 2012 along with parental puberty timing questionnaires completed by their parents.
Fathers who matured early had sons who developed pubic hair a year ahead of the average puberty time. Some men also grew enlarged testes less than 10 months than the usual.
Girls with fathers who matured early also started menstruation about 10 months sooner than most girls. The girls also developed pubic hair seven months sooner than girls whose fathers developed later. However, early breast development in girls was not tied to early puberty in their fathers, according to Washington Post.
Similarly, mothers who matured early had children who went through puberty early as well. Daughters of women who went through puberty early started menstruation 10 months sooner. Sons of women who matured early went through genital maturation nearly 7 months before other boys.
A similar study published in the journal Nature found that the time at which girls attain sexual maturity depends on their "imprinted genes", according to Science Daily. Imprinted genes are a group of subset genes whose activities are different depending on which parent passes on that particular gene.
The study observed more than 180,00 women from 166 institutions worldwide. The findings of the study imply that one parent has a more profound effect on puberty timing in girls.
Although studies show that children inherit from both their parents, girls are less dependent on genetics and more dependent on environment factors such as childhood growth patterns, according to Christine Wohlfahrt-Veje, a growth and development research from the University of Copenhagen. Kids who are early in puberty also tend to be shorter in height since the early growth spurt stops bones from growing at an earlier age.
Teens with early puberty also face an increased risk for social and emotional problems and may engage in sexual experience earlier. Early puberty has also been translated to higher risk for obesity.
