Menstruation

Earlier puberty due to the better health and living conditions nowadays. In what we call 3rd world countries where nourishment is scarce puberty is delayed quite a bit.

I started at 11 and a quarter, still in junior school and a bit of a heroine because I was the first. This was in 1951. My mother (born 1907) also started at 11.

My granddaughter is 6 and a half, so hopefully she has is few years to go!

Over the years, I must have stopped keeping track and these days, I don't even have a clue. I do recall a classmate who started at age nine, which was extremely rare. In the 1950's most girls started between 11 and 13.

I was 11 when I started. I don't have the evidence to know if 'across the board' girls are starting earlier but if they are maybe it's because most of them (I know not all) are better nourished these days and seem to be bigger and develop earlier. Nature probably has a way to ensure bodies are ready for childbirth, so an underdeveloped child would not start too early. Plus a hereditary factor.

WHO in their right mind decided unisex toilets are a good idea!!!!! I had not heard of this. Maybe the 'transgender' brigade where it's impossible to provide separate loos for girls/boys/those transitioning. So they think 'let's shove 'em all in together then no one can moan'.

I think that's dreadful. What happens with urinals? Do the girls stroll past urinating boys to get to a cubicle? I bet the boys have a great time trying to peek under the doors. Grief. Or go into the next cubicle waiting for the rustle of a tampon or towel wrapper so they can tease. It's such a delicate age, even having a bowel movement would be excruciating in the next cubicle to a boy . I'm going to ask my GD's at the weekend to find out if they have unisex toilets. I sincerely hope not.

AlieOxen your link my explain man-boobs!

One of mine started at 9 too and I agree it was difficult! She was still very much a little girl as you are at 9 and found it all very difficult to deal with! I have heard that the age is getting younger I started at 13 and my other DD’s were 14 and 15 so I am not sure of the hereditary angle

I was 10 or 11 & not at all large. I think it is all in the genes- my mother started at 11 too.
My best friend was 14 when she started & was soooo envious of me- she soon learnt is was no 'treat'.

I was 10, I’m now 73 so don’t think it’s anything new

“Wrote to the school”

I was banned from sex education lessons by my very strict and prudish parents . I was made to sit the lessons out. My mum writecto the school saying that she wanted to tell me herself “when she thought the time was right” ( highly unlikely given her nature) sadly started periods at 13 and didn’t have a clue (seriously), pregnant at 17 and didn’t even know . I’m 57 and still waiting for that sex education lesson from my parents .

I started at 11, and that was more than 30 years ago. It's not that uncommon.

I started at 14, hated having periods as they prevented me from doing things, so when I went on the pill I decided to take them every day to do away with periods altogether. At that time it was mostly members of the medical profession who did without periods.
Saved me a fortune and allowed me to keep up with men in my work and hobby. Can't understand why women put up with it but menstruation is still a taboo subject so I expect knowledge of your options is hard to come by.

Our gd started at the age of 10, she is now 18, she was the first one in her primary school to start her period, we had spoke to her about periods and she coped well.

I was about 11 but finished at 45 whoopee I can remember being quite proud when I started and that was the days of belt and braces ? my best friend was 17 and was worried stiff about it for years and thought she would never start, my friends daughter started at 8 that was 30 years ago
I don’t think 9 is that unusually and I think how the mum and family deal with it (as normal and not oh poor you) makes all the difference

I was thirteen and my mum was not prepared. She used to whisper about S T's when we talked about it. Maybe because I had 2 brothers. How when I was "unwell" I shouldn't wash my hair. The thick Dr White's and pink belt with little anchors to loop the towels on were horrendous! Thank goodness attitudes have changed.

I strongly suspect that oestrogens in the environment may be to blame. Oestrogen from the contraceptive pill and HRT are excreted and can end up in the water supply, while children who ingest non-organic meat and dairy products are also exposed to oestrogens. Soy products are phytoestrogens.

My mother - who was born in 1929 started her periods at 9. She thought she was dying! My childhood friends mother - similar age, started at 10. I believe 11-12 is (or was) the average age. My daughter started wearing a bra at 9. Everyone is different. I don't think there is anything sinister afoot? Except perhaps plastic and drugs in the food chain/water table!

I started at 10, my daughter at 11 and I know of others who have started early. On the plus side I finished early

Hormones in meat are causing a lot of changes...even infertility in men. Whether is is the reason I do not know. Something to Google when I get home from work....what did we do before Google?

i was 9, i thought i was dying as my mum hadnt had chance to explain things to me, now im 49 and cant wait for it to be over, i thought id be like my mum and finish in my early 40s but sadly no, its suprising how many girls start early my grandaughters 12 snd a fair few of her friens have already started theirs.

OK, so no one wants to believe that....

How about - the Lancet and the British Medical Journal both have articles worrying about XS female hormones in our drinking water?

I am 80 and was 11 when my periods started so don't think too much has changed. At least I had sanitary towels to use unlike my mother when she was younger and people could not afford them

I was primary age too and had no idea what was happening to me when I saw the blood for the first time. I remember telling the teacher I didn't feel well and asking to go home. My mother just cleaned and padded me - said "you can have babies now" - and that was it. I had no idea how one "got" a baby and I was scared that one would just appear. Thank goodness girls are better informed now.

Charleygirl15 Nuns. I was 13 when I started & DD was about the same age, her BF's M gave my DD a book she had bought her DD who had already started. Not sure about the weight comment as DD was tall & well built, her BF was tiny.

I hate the idea of unisex toilets, I would only use them if desperate so how awful is it for girls?

Puberty is happening much earlier now it seems, 9 is very young but sadly not unusual .
It's a shame girls are having their childhood cut short.
This thread brought back memories of the hideous bulky cotton wool pads we had with the pink sanitary belt. Why were we told not to bathe during menstruation, the very time when hygiene is important.