Many theories exist surrounding the increases in early puberty in young girls and boys, but while the causes are unclear, the rise in numbers is a certainty. Precocious puberty, defined as the onset of signs of puberty before ages 7 or 8 in girls and age 9 in boys, can be physically and emotionally difficult.

Puberty occurs during adolescence when children develop physically and emotionally into young men and women. Usually, this begins at approximately age 10 for girls and age ...