CHENNAI: It’s not just in the nation’s capital that there has been an alarming decrease in the age of girls reaching puberty, even our state’s capital has been a silent witness to this worrying trend. Gynecologists agree that not only have the number of early-puberty cases increased, the increase has been gradually getting higher over the past decade. “The incidence of girls reaching puberty as early as 8 or 9 instead of between 10 and 12 has really shot up. We see plenty of such cases from not just Chennai, but even from the suburbs and adjoining districts,” states Dr Jeyarani Kamaraj, Gynecologist and Infertility Expert.While the numbers are more or less concurrent with that of Delhi (reduced from 10 to 8), the reason cited is almost unanimous. “Almost all the cases we deal with have to do with their diet and lifestyle. With the amount of unhealthy food options available, it has become common for girls these days to have issues with obesity. Once they are overweight, the chances of having hormonal imbalances increase greatly,” she explains.Dr Kamaraj also adds that there has been an increase in the number of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in general, but noticeably among younger girls. Broadly defined as an imbalance in a woman’s sex hormones, getting irregular periods are the least of these girls’ concerns, warns the specialist. “This is a systemic problem that is expressed in the ovary. When something affects the hypothalamus (in the brain) either mentally, psychologically or physically, it can trigger this problem.” Being overweight at a young age, is one of these triggers.Once the girls start developing body hair like men or having an unfeminine waist-hip ratio, they begin getting upset. “This affects their life and can be physically dangerous for them too,” adds the doctor. A higher risk of endocrinal cancer and early menopause, infertility and depression are inherent with this problem. However, the silver lining, according to her, is that “more women are spotting this problem early and bringing their daughters for treatment after watching TV.” Stating that the condition is fully treatable, she adds that half the ‘treatment’ is cutting back on the junk food and getting some exercise – the drugs come after!
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