Try out PMC Labs and tell us what you think. Learn More. Early puberty is associated with stressful family environments, early sexual intercourse, and teenage pregnancy. We examined pubertal timing and sexual debut among the year-old offspring of teenage mothers. Early maturation was associated with early sex in daughters, and may be one pathway for the inter-generational transfer of risk for teenage pregnancy among daughters of teenage mothers. The United States US has one of the highest teenage pregnancy and birth rates in the developed world Guttmacher Institute Longitudinal studies of the offspring of teenage mothers suggest that their offspring are at risk for many negative outcomes across the lifespan, even after controlling for the effects of lower socioeconomic status SES Furstenberg et al. Differences in risk between the children of adult mothers and the children of teenage mothers increase during adolescence, when the offspring of teenage mothers are at greater risk of using drugs Fergusson and Woodward , running away from home Maynard , joining a gang Pogarsky et al. One of the differences identified in this literature is a greater risk for the adolescent offspring of teenage mothers to become parents themselves Barber ; Meade et al.
We know about pedophiles, but what about ephebophiles?
Introduction
The teenage years are also called adolescence. During this time, teens will see the greatest amount of growth in height and weight. Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and puberty changes. A teenager may grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth. Then they may have another growth spurt. Changes with puberty may happen slowly. Or several changes may occur at the same time. It's important to remember that these changes will happen differently for each teen. Some teens may have these signs of maturity sooner or later than others. And being smaller or bigger than other girls is normal.
How much will my teen grow?
Kids see and hear a lot about sex and relationships on TV and online. By the time they near puberty, they may be familiar with some advanced ideas. But talking about puberty is still an important job for parents because not all this other information is reliable. Don't wait for your kids to come to you with questions about their changing body. Talk to your kids about the changes their bodies will go through as they grow. Some girls start puberty at 8 years old, and some boys do by 9.
Back to Sexual health. Puberty is when a girl grows up into a young woman. Every girl goes through it, but it can be a tough time. Here are the changes to expect. Puberty usually starts between the ages of 8 and 14, but every girl is different.