# Stop/slow down early puberty



## eroslovesagape (Aug 8, 2005)

My 9 year old daughter had some underarm odor, and breast buds just starting. 

Anyone have success putting early puberty on "pause"? With herbs, homeopathy, other ideas??

I have responded to her awareness about her breast buds with calm support, answering her q's, and giving honest information. 

Our family history consists of women starting their periods between 13-17, and breast buds starting at 12-14, so this is an unwelcome surprise, sadly with lifelong health repercussions - that I'd like to mitigate!

Yes, I know that currently it's considered in the "normal" range to start puberty at 8, and I've done enough research to know that's bullshit. It's just a way to sugarcoat the fact that our world is affecting our childrens' hormones. As always, female health issues receive the paternalistic pat on the head, "there, there, there's nothing to worry about."

I've done a lot of research and found numerous risk factors, that I've mostly...

DD:
1) not overweight, but not thin
2) has ALWAYS eaten only organic & non-gmo
3) meat very infrequently (and it's tapered off to none)
4) dairy consumption low; it takes both of us a week to finish a 1/2 gallon of raw organic milk.
5) very low sugar intake, nearly always from fruit only
6) diet consists primarily of raw fruits & veggies, greens & green drinks, seeds and nuts
7) has not been getting the recommended "daily vigorous exercise" - but it's started! I recently started her in gymnastics, soccer is next, and we are going for high-speed morning walks doing some yoga before school/work (wow does that make us feel great!)
8) never heat food in plastics, switched to glass water bottle


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## lauren (Nov 20, 2001)

I have never heard of slowing down puberty directly. It does sound like you are doing all the right things already. I wonder if it will be a very slow process and these are just very early signs, not to get worried about. Does she have concerns?


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## JamieCatheryn (Dec 31, 2005)

Menarche at an avg of 14-15 was normal historically, and is still in rural less industrialized parts of the world today, but like 12.5 is average here today. It's probably a mix of environment and genetics. Poor, starving girls will be delayed, earlier development may also be a factor of good health not just toxins. Living here you've sheltered her much as you can from negative environmental factors. First signs to starting cycles can still take a very long time. I had the breast buds at 8 or so and had my first period at 13.5, was behind all my peers and felt like the odd one out being that late.

If you want to give her something I'd look into low doses of Maca root, it can balance hormones and slow down estrogen production in early puberty I have read, plus it's a good "superfood" for minerals too. But don't treat this like a disorder, it really is normal. And whether it is or not, feeling abnormal about this can be emotionally rough on a girl.


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## redrock (Oct 18, 2011)

Well, I totally understand that it can be a bit concerning to feel like our kids are starting puberty earlier than normal. And, as parents, I don't think any of us want to hasten that! As far as what to do, have you run this by your pediatrician to see if they had any thoughts? Or, I'm not sure if you prefer more of a naturalistic doctor, but talking to one of them might be an option as well. Personally, I haven't tried any herbal medicines for this, but I'm sure they could offer some suggestions on whether this could be helpful or not. But, either way, it sounds like you're doing your best to prepare your daughter for the changes ahead, and work with the situation as best you can. Hang in there!

#girlluvs2garden #



eroslovesagape said:


> My 9 year old daughter had some underarm odor, and breast buds just starting.
> 
> Anyone have success putting early puberty on "pause"? With herbs, homeopathy, other ideas??
> 
> ...


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## MeepyCat (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm concerned that your reactions to your daughter's development may have troubling consequences for your daughter. Her feelings about her changing body will inevitably be informed by your reactions, so if she thinks you perceive her body as bad or troubling or needing to be fixed, she is likely to take that on, in ways that may not be emotionally or physically helpful for her.

I also worry about your sudden push for exercise, and the impact of adding two newstructured activities, plus a morning speedwalk and yoga. Is your daughter still able to pursue activities that she chooses? Kids are very resilient, but overtraining at an early age can lead to chronic strains and injuries with long-term effects. Is she getting enough recovery time from each workout? Is she getting enough rest?


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

OP, I hear you, and if it were my daughter I too would be feeling the same way as you. Regardless of what some of the other posters have said, it might be common today for girls to go through puberty earlier and earlier but that doesn't make it benign. You are correct, that this could have a life long impact on your DD's health including a less efficient immune system. This is an epigenetic issue, so the reason could well lie in environmental factors that affected you prior to pregnancy. The unfortunate thing is this will now be compounded for future generations because early puberty will affect the hormonal conditions in her uterus and with ripple effects for her children.

I wish I had some suggestions to offer, you are doing what I would do. If she were my child I would consult a homeopath or a functional doctor and work with them.

How is your DD's sleep patterns? Less melatonin can lead to a shorter juvenile period. I would also be very anal about avoiding fluoride,if you aren't already.



> *Menarche at an avg of 14-15 was normal historically, and is still in rural less industrialized parts of the world today, but like 12.5 is average here today.* It's probably a mix of environment and genetics. Poor, starving girls will be delayed, earlier development may also be a factor of good health not just toxins.


I believe that 12.5 as the average age for menarche in girls today is an aberration and not normal. Both of my DD's started their periods at 14 - 15, my younger DD was 15 years and 3 months old when she started, the older one was 14.5. We live in industrialized America not some rural third world country and both of my girls were of a healthy weight and are tall; both were breast fed until their fifth year, both both were fed a clean, organic diet. Something our in environment and food is causing epigentic changes to our species, and that likely started a generation or two ago, and we are seeing the effects on our children now. Unless something is done to reduce this we will likely see a shorter and shorter juvenile period in our young which will continue to lead to less robust neurological development and impaired health. We are already seeing this now, with 26% of children in the US being chronically sick, and 1 in 6 with a learning disabilities. If you add in obesity, that makes a total of 54% of children.

I would also add, that I am seeing the same pattern in my DS, who at 15 and growing like a weed, hasn't hit puberty yet either. DH, his father hit puberty at 12.

Okay, I am backing down off my soap box now....:soapbox


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## contactmaya (Feb 21, 2006)

Fascinating stuff. I hope you find some answers. 
I tend to agree with what Mirzam is saying. As for me personally, i didnt get the breast buds until 15 along with menstruation. I am not entirely sure why i was later than average (being 12/13 where i came from), but wondered if the fact that i was athletic contributed. I also wonder whether it contributed to my own late fertility- having my last child at almost 45.

I agree with encouraging physical activity for any reason, including this, but dont go overboard!


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## contactmaya (Feb 21, 2006)

Food for thought-
"Between the mid- nineteenth and mid- twentieth centuries, girls in the United States and several European countries began menstruating younger and younger. Every decade, the ability to reproduce comes 0.3 years earlier. In the United States, the average age of first menses dropped from seventeen to around thirteen between 1830 and 1962. ................

.............Meanwhile, there is another major, and opposite, trend in the reproductive viability of men; in the United States and parts of Europe, male sperm count fell by up to 50 percent in the latter half of the twentieth century. In France, male sperm count fell 1.9 percent per year from 1989 to 2005. (So the rumor that men are ever more useless may be partly true?)"

From-
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/22/science_makes_mind_blowing_sex_how_darwin_made_your_sex_life_hotter/


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## JuliaDDTlaw (Mar 26, 2015)

eroslovesagape said:


> My 9 year old daughter had some underarm odor, and breast buds just starting.
> 
> Anyone have success putting early puberty on "pause"? With herbs, homeopathy, other ideas??
> 
> ...


eroslovesagape, 
I believe, you are an incredibly good mother, and you are doing the right things. As other people have mentioned already breast buds doesn't mean that period is going to start within next few months. 
In any case physical activities won't hurt.


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## JuliaDDTlaw (Mar 26, 2015)

contactmaya said:


> Food for thought-
> "Between the mid- nineteenth and mid- twentieth centuries, girls in the United States and several European countries began menstruating younger and younger. Every decade, the ability to reproduce comes 0.3 years earlier. In the United States, the average age of first menses dropped from seventeen to around thirteen between 1830 and 1962. ................
> 
> .............Meanwhile, there is another major, and opposite, trend in the reproductive viability of men; in the United States and parts of Europe, male sperm count fell by up to 50 percent in the latter half of the twentieth century. In France, male sperm count fell 1.9 percent per year from 1989 to 2005. (So the rumor that men are ever more useless may be partly true?)"
> ...


thanks for the link. It's an interesting article. Tendency is a bit scary tho... My bf is older than me so I'm afraid it may take us a while to concive a baby.. Men never wanna listen any arguments (even those that are reasonable) about their fertility!


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