Why six-year-old girls dey see dia periods and come begin resemble teenagers?

Archana, mama of one six-year-old girl, notice one significant changes for her daughter body wey dey unusual and leave her very concerned.

"I bin fear to see dis for such young age. She bin dey start to vex over small tins. Dis changes bin dey worry me," she tok.

Archana, not her real name, dey live wit her family for one village for di Satara district of western India.

She dey live for one small house wey dem build on one farm wit her husband and two children - one son and one elder daughter.

Wen Archana daughter bin start to look older dan her age, she den decide to carry her go see doctor.

'E dey hard for us to accept am'

Meanwhile, Rashi wey live for Delhi, also dey see changes in her daughter body, but don consider dem normal.

Her six-year-old daughter bin weigh 40kg and she dey consider her "healthy child".

But one day Rashi daughter suddenly complain of bleeding.

Afta dem go to di doctor, dem find say her daughter don start to menstruate.

"E dey very difficult for us to accept dis. My daughter no fit understand wetin dey happun to her," Rashi tok.

For di same time, one local doctor bin advise Archana to consult gynaecologist.

"Wen Archana bring her daughter to us, afta examination we bin find say she get all di symptoms of puberty. Her body structure be like dat of 14 to 15-year-old teenager and her period fit start any time," Dr Sushil Garud for Motherhood Hospital, for Pune tok.

Dr Garud tok say di hormone levels in di girl bin dey much higher dan normal for her age and many reasons fit dey for dis.

"Archana bin tell me say na two 5kg canisters of pesticides dem keep for her house and her daughter dey always play around dem. So dis fit be one of di main reasons for di change in di girl hormones," di doctor tok.

Dr Garud tok say di name of premature changes in children na precocious puberty or early puberty.

Puberty na process wia changes dey happun in di body of boy or girl, dia sexual organs develop and dem go fit get or give belle.

Most boys dey grow facial and pubic hair and dia voices dey deep. Most girls dey grow pubic hair and breasts, and start dia period.

Na normal for puberty to start at any point between di ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys.

Dr Vaishakhi Rustegi, one paediatrician and adolescent endocrinologist wey specialise in hormone-related illnesses, says she don notice shift in girls in di last few years.

"We use to see say girls use to get dia periods 18 months to three years afta di first signs of physical changes show. Now, girls dey get dia periods within three to four months," she bin tell di BBC.

She say boys now don start to grow bia-bia within one to 1.5 years afta puberty start, whereas for past e use to take up to four years.

Dr Suchitra Surve, of di Child Health Research Department of di Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), find in her study say increase don dey in cases of early puberty.

One study of 2,000 girls, wey di National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH) carry out, find say mothers often dey fail to understand di signs of puberty.

Di organisation don dey study di causes and risks wey associate wit premature puberty in girls under nine years old.

For 2020, di Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Mumbai and ICMR collabo on one early puberty camp for girls age six to nine.

“Sixty girls, wey age between six and nine years old, don experience early puberty and some fit start dia periods any time,” Dr Sudha Rau, wey dey work for di hospital paediatric department tok.

Wetin dey cause early puberty?

Doctors say e get many reasons for precocious puberty and one single reason no fit dey attributed sake of say studies dey go on.

Dem believe say pesticides, preservatives wey dem dey use in food, pollution, and obesity fit dey among di potential causes.

Dr Prashant Patil, wey dey study di issue among girls for Mumbai, say obesity na one of di biggest risk factors to develop early puberty and di problem don increase sake of rise in obesity among children during di Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 390 million children and adolescents wey age from 5 to 19 years dey overweight for 2022, including 160 million wey dey live wit obesity, according to di World Health Organization (WHO).

Obesity na chronic complex disease wey dey defined by excessive fat deposits wey fit harm health.

Dem dey measure by look at di body mass index (BMI), wey include di sex at birth, age, weight and height of di child or teenager.

Too much use of mobile phones, TV or oda screens, and lack of exercise also be part of wetin dem tok say be potential risk factors.

Dr Vaisakhi tok say dat for di past two or three years, five to six cases of menstruation don dey reported in girls evri day for her outpatient department.

"I also get cases wia mothers say dem notice changes in April and di girls start to menstruate in June-July. Now, dos kain cases dey come up for boys as well," she tok.

She say di screen time also indirectly dey affect premature puberty.

Both Archana and Rashi daughters dey undergo treatment to delay dia periods until at least 10 or 11 years old.

Doctors say dat for dia current age, di girls no dey mature enough to take care of demselves and maintain cleanliness during periods.

Both di doctors say di girls wey experience early puberty fit get psychosocial issues.

Studies don find say dis girls fit get lifetime body image issues and fit dey bullied by peers for dia early body changes.