Early Puberty in Girls Surged in The Pandemic, And We May Finally Know Why

One of the more puzzling health problems COVID has inflicted on the world's population is an increase in the number of girls who are at an early stage of puberty.

More than one study has shown a spike in numbers during the first few months of the epidemic, which may be related to the virus.

According to a study presented at the 60th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in Rome, it might not have anything to do with the infections.

It's possible that the time spent scrolling through smart devices for hours on end is to blame.

Researchers from Gazi University and Ankara City Hospital in Turkey exposed 18 immature female rats to a spectrum of light predominantly emitted by ourLED screens for relatively short or long periods each day, and found those that were bathed in the blue-tinged light for longer bouts showed the hallmarks of maturity sooner than

Exposure to blue light can alter reproductive hormone levels and cause earlier puberty in rats. Aylin Kilin Uurlu from Gazi University is the lead author of the book.

It's a finding that should be taken seriously as we become increasingly reliant on personalized digital technology.

Most of us start to experience the joys and horrors of puberty by age 12 in the middle of a bell curve that spans from 9 to 14 in boys and 8 to 13 in girls.

Precocious puberty is when secondary sexual characteristics emerge before the age of eight. It's not easy to say how many girls are encompassed by the condition as the prevalence varies around the world.

There is a mystery to the surge of hormones. There is no obvious cause for a good proportion of the disorders of the nervous system.

Researchers were stumped when the number of girls reporting a form of puberty in Turkey increased from 25 in April to 58 in March 2020.

It was interesting to see the rise in use of smart devices. The amount of time we spend exposed to the blue light from our phones and tablets increases.

Our bodies have evolved to interpret the blue tint of daylight as prime waking time and the less vibrant glow of dawn, dusk, and evening as ideal for rest.

If there is a serious disruption to the pattern, it could mess with our health in a lot of ways.

melatonin's inhibition at a crucial time in our development could tell the body it's time to ramp up the hormones that prepare the body for puberty.

The hypothesis could have a lot going for it if the team of researchers is correct.

Other factors can play an important role. There is a lot of room for a wide variety of influences to be shaping the timelines of adolescence in humans.

"As a rat study, we can't be certain that these findings would be replicated in children but these data suggest that blue light exposure could be considered as a risk factor for earlier puberty onset," says Uurlu.

The research was presented at a meeting.