text: An Abuja-based medical practitioner, Dr Chioma Ofoekii, says it is normal for girls to start menstruation as early as eight years.
  Speaking with the NAN on Wednesday in Abuja, Ofoekii states that a girl’s body can begin to change into that of an adult too soon, in what is known as precocious puberty.
  Menstruation or period as commonly called – is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman’s monthly cycle.
  Every month, the woman’s body prepares for pregnancy; if no pregnancy occurs, the uterus or womb sheds its lining, while the menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus.
  According to the expert, precocious puberty refers to “the onset of secondary sexual characteristics” usually occurring before the age of eight in girls; and prior to the age of nine in boys.
  “In girls, this will commonly manifest as breast development, menstrual bleeding, pubic and auxiliary hairs, acne, and rapid bone and muscle growth.
  “A girl who starts menstruation at a young age is usually because the hormones responsible for puberty are being produced earlier,” she noted.
  “The symptoms in boys include enlarged testicles and penis; a deepening voice and facial hair, often on the upper lip.
  Causes, at the level of the brain, include hypothalamic lesions, hydrocephalus, brain tumours, infections and trauma; while other causes may include ovarian cysts, tumours of the adrenal gland, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and obesity.
  Accordingly, it is important to note that it can also be genetic, in which case it is just based on family genes.
  She, however, says family history may reveal a similar early onset of puberty in the mother and other female siblings, citing some complications to include short stature or otherwise known as dwarfism; low self-esteem, and psychological stress.