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Louise Greenspan, pediatrician and professor at the University of California, USA, remembers the first time she saw a 7-year-old patient with a small breast bud.
"Her parents brought her very worried, they wanted to know what made her daughter start developing breasts while she was still playing with dolls," the doctor wrote in an article for US News.
"When I explained to them that 15% of girls their age start puberty at age 7, they could not believe it."
In the past, the appearance of puberty signs, such as breast growth or pubic hair, before age 8 was considered abnormal.
But in the United States, 15% of girls begin to develop their breasts at the age of 7 and at age 8, more than 25% begin to develop breasts.
And that's not just happening in the United States: according to physician and puberty specialist Frank Biro, of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital's teenage medicine center, we are facing a global phenomenon.
The causes
"There is no simple reason why puberty occurs at an earlier age," says Dr. Biro in an interview with BBC Mundo.
The doctor estimates that puberty has increased at least one or two years since the beginning of the twentieth century, especially among girls.
"At the beginning of the last century, nutrition and public health began to improve, it's the beginning of puberty," says the doctor.
"But in the middle of the 20th century, and particularly in the last two decades, we started to see something very different."
The growth of pubic hair and body is one of the first symptoms of puberty
Fatty and chemical products
Frank Biro and his colleagues conducted a survey a few years ago on girls' precocious puberty.
Previous studies had already linked the body mass index (BMI) to earlier puberty. But according to Dr. Biro's analysis, the body mass index is the most important factor to explain this phenomenon.
Indeed, fat is a very active hormonal gland and fat cells convert other hormones into estrogen. The more adipose a girl has, the more likely she is to start puberty sooner.
The researchers also point out that exposure to the chemical elements of the environment can alter the age at which puberty begins.
Phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens are chemicals known to disrupt the endocrine system because they interfere with the body's endocrine or hormonal system.
They are found in a wide range of consumer products, such as nail polish, perfumes, lotions and shampoos.
"What we have discovered is that exposure to these chemicals is associated with early breast development," Dr. Biro says.
A 12-year-old girl has a 12-year-old brain, though on the outside she seems older
The risks
Early puberty carries some risks.
For starters, children with a high body mass index are more likely to suffer from problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
And Dr. Biro points out that early rules are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
"We must also take into account the sociological factors," says the doctor. "We know that boys and girls who start puberty at an earlier age are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs."
"It's because apparently older, they will want to adopt the typical behaviors of the elderly."
According to a study conducted in January in the United States, precocious puberty among girls is also linked to an increased likelihood of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
For Dr. Biro, it's a sociological problem.
"Apparently older, they are then treated as if they were," says the expert. "If a 12-year-old girl seems to be 15, it's very likely that many people will treat her as if she were 15, which can cause her many problems."
"What you have to remember, is that she is a 12 year old girl with a 12 year old brain, but on the outside, she looks older."
Puberty has progressed at least a year or two since the early twentieth century, especially among girls.
What are the risks for boys who start puberty sooner?
"Children have different pressures from girls," says the doctor. "Growing children tend to be considered leaders, although they are also likely to be involved in higher-risk behaviors, early puberty may be a positive thing for some children"
The good news is that it is unlikely that the age at which puberty begins to decline further.
"There must be a biological minimum," says Dr. Biro. "And as far as girls are concerned, I do not think I can go down much more."
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