Scientists from different countries are extremely concerned that girls are becoming victims of premature menstrual cycle. The girls of the new generation are becoming adults much earlier than the previous generations.

This is the reason that other changes in the body also start early due to the early onset of periods. The situation is such that the girls of the new generation are starting their periods four years earlier than the girls of the earlier generation.

According to new data released in May, girls born between 1950 and 1969 used to start their periods at the age of 12.5 years. However, in the generation born in the early 2000s, this age has come down to an average of 11.9.

Disadvantages of early onset of periods
A similar trend is being seen all over the world. Scientists from South Korea have expressed concern about this. According to them, due to this, the signs of puberty also start appearing in girls at an early age.

According to these scientists, the prevalence of early puberty or periods before the age of eight has increased 16 times between 2008 and 2020.

“Early menopause is more common in low socioeconomic communities and minority communities, which has long-term health implications,” says Audrey Gaskin, associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta, US.

The main concern for researchers like Gaskins is that early menopause changes other things too and has far-reaching effects as you age.

Statistics show that early onset of periods reduces fertility and also leads to early menopause, which also affects age.

Early periods can lead to breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.

If cells in the body are exposed to sex hormones like estrogen for too long, they are more likely to develop tumors. Because it makes the cells grow.

“Additionally, some research suggests that higher exposure to hormones increases the risk of developing reproductive cancers,” she says.

There are also many dangers at the social level. Skenazy says girls go through puberty earlier, which also increases the rate of premature sexual activity.

She adds, “Abortion is illegal in many countries. This will increase the number of unwanted pregnancies in young girls, which is a worrying situation.

During sexual intercourse, two communication channels are formed in the body. This is called the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis.

A part of the brain called the hypothalamus connects it. The hypothalamus region controls body temperature and various body functions are controlled with the help of hormone-secreting glands.

Gaskins says that 10 to 20 years ago, scientists believed that childhood obesity was the only reason for early menopause, but recently people have realized that this cannot be the only reason. There are many other reasons behind this.

Air pollution can also be an important reason

Some other research in the last three years points to an important reason. Ewha Women’s University in Seoul recently conducted an analysis. It was related to pollution and the factors responsible for premature periods.

The main reasons for this are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. Smoke from cars, waste from factories enter the atmosphere.

A study was conducted in Poland in 2002. Excessive burning of coal worsens the air quality there. In this study, 1257 women were surveyed. Being exposed to more nitrogen gas and having periods before the age of 11 years was associated with it.

PM particles are an even bigger problem. Those particles are so small that they are not visible. These particles also get into the air from factories, forest fires, power plants, vehicle engines and dirt and dusty roads and these reasons also lead to early periods.

According to a 2023 study by Gaskins and colleagues, American girls who were exposed to PM 2.5 or PM 10 particles during pregnancy or infancy were more likely to have their first periods at an early age.

PM 2.5 particles can reach anywhere

“PM 2.5 particles can easily enter the blood,” says Gaskins. “You inhale them and they are not able to filter through and reach other parts of the body like larger particles. We have seen that some particles get deposited in the placenta, fetal tissues and even the ovaries. They can reach everywhere.”

Based on samples taken around the house, it has been found that the chemicals present in these particles affect the hormones necessary for the development of the body. This leads to premature aging.

Gaskins says, “It is our initial understanding that the girl who was exposed to high levels of PM2.5 particles was also affected by other chemicals.” This caused such changes in the body that led to early puberty. ”

According to Gaskins, there can be many reasons behind the early changes in the body of girls. According to him, PM2.5 and other things are examples of this.