What's considered to be "precocious" puberty?

It's reasonable to wonder, with an increasing awareness of early puberty, what is considered normal and what isn't.

In the UK, it is considered to be medically acceptable for girls:

• to start breast development before 8 years of age
• to begin her periods before 9 years of age.

Anything earlier is likely to be regarded as precocious puberty and may require medical intervention.

[For boys, genital development before the age of 9 requires attention.]

In the US, the age of acceptable pubertal development in girls is earlier.

So if you start to notice breast buds on your eight year old daughter, stay calm - it's probably okay. If you need some reassurance, by all means get her checked out by her doctor.

Of course, the information we provide here is not a medical opinion and is provided for guidance only. For more information on precocious puberty, check out:

Great Ormond Street Hospital's clinical guidance
Barts and the London NHS Trust.