What is the normal age of maturity for girls? – Dr. Anantharaman Ramakrishnan

There is a lot of controversy regarding the normal age of maturity regarding the girls. Most of the data is from abroad. We do not have a lot of data of pubertal onset. In girls when they achieve a pubertal onset, there is a height spurt that is they grow suddenly very tall and they also have a breast enlargement and that is a typical sign of puberty. So typically if there is a breast bud before 8 years of age, consider it as early pubertal development or a precocious puberty or precocious onset of puberty. Also menarche or menstruation does no start by 9 years of age. So these are widely accepted as standards, even in India but in certain ethnic groups like black girls, like by 7 years of age also they may be developing in a good number of girls but in Caucasians and Asians, it is 8 years of age. But if you find that the breast bud is enlarging. Also it has to be palpable. If you press the breast between the fingers, a mother or father can do this. If you feel a breast tissue, it is a breast bud. If you feel a fatty tissue, it is not a breast enlargement actually. Breast enlargement means it should be ductular enlargement. It is not just a pad of fat. So many chubby girls can also have a pad of fat on the chest which is a lipomastia which need not be necessarily a pubertal development. If you have a doubt you can always bring the child to a pediatric endocrinologist.