{"id":13300,"date":"2021-10-22T12:30:13","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T17:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/?p=13300"},"modified":"2024-05-26T17:00:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-26T22:00:37","slug":"aider-votre-adolescent-en-retard-de-maturation-a-faire-face-aux-defis-dune-puberte-tardive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/fr\/helping-your-late-bloomer-teen-cope-with-the-challenges-of-delayed-puberty\/","title":{"rendered":"Aider votre adolescent \"\u00e0 floraison tardive\" \u00e0 faire face aux d\u00e9fis d'une pubert\u00e9 retard\u00e9e"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few weeks ago, we discussed the phenomenon of <\/em>precocious puberty<\/em><\/a>, and strategies for helping the \u201cearly bloomer\u201d in your life deal with some of the struggles that can accompany early physical development. This week, we\u2019re discussing strategies for helping the \u201clate bloomer\u201d in your life navigate the challenges that can come with delayed puberty. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was 14, I found a small amount of spotting in my underwear. I was excited, and thought “Oh, I\u2019m getting my first period!\u201d The timing felt right\u2014I\u2019d heard other girls at school talking about their periods. I felt like I\u2019d finally hit a milestone and had joined some sort of club\u2014the woman club! But my membership in the women’s club was short-lived. I eventually realized that I wasn\u2019t getting a period at all. Months went by, and still I had only seen that small bit of bleeding and no more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around this time\u2014about 8th grade\u2014I also decided I was fat. Though I was tall and already naturally thin, I was also very insecure. I began obsessing about how much fat and how many calories I consumed, and I lost 15 pounds over the next several months. Looking at pictures of myself during that time, I can see how underweight I was. It should have been clear to those around me that I was, in fact, struggling with the beginnings of an eating disorder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s obvious to me now that my eating disorder likely contributed to my late puberty, and the additional feelings of insecurity that accompanied that. Although being a late bloomer never stressed me out excessively, I do remember distinct moments of feeling left out and very na\u00efve compared to my peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling left out of “the club”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One time, another girl was dealing with her unexpected period and asked me if I had a tampon. \u201cI have a pad,\u201d I said, thinking of one of my mom\u2019s maxi pads I\u2019d been carrying around in my backpack for a couple years, in preparation (hope) that I would soon be joining “the club.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo thanks. I need a tampon,\u201d she replied. She was going to volleyball practice and needed something she could be active in. This was something I knew nothing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, I coped with being a late bloomer the same way I coped with my other body insecurities: by not talking to anyone about it, especially with other girls my age. I always had this fear in the back of my mind that something was permanently wrong with my body. What if I couldn\u2019t have children someday?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always had this fear in the back of my mind that something was permanently wrong with my body. What if I couldn\u2019t have children someday? <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it was precisely this fear that shook me out of my eating disorder. When I saw that spotting in my underwear, I truly thought that my body was trying to cycle, but after 4-5 months of not getting anything that resembled a period, I realized that maybe I was hurting my body with the way I was eating. What if I wasn’t getting a period because I was too thin and not feeding my body enough? What if I couldn\u2019t have children someday because of what I was doing to myself? Fortunately, this was a wake-up call for me, and it helped me shift my focus to eating a balanced and healthy diet rather than simply restricting calories. Despite its difficulties, this dark time in my life did produce a lifelong interest in me for healthy eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At age 16, I finally got a real period and breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn\u2019t doomed to be childless, and could now feel like a normal teen girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as an adult with daughters of my own, I found out only a few years ago that being a late bloomer runs in my family. My sister, my mom, and my mom\u2019s sisters also didn’t have their first periods until age 16, either. Looking back, I wish they had talked more openly with me about this<\/a>, which I believe would have made me feel a lot less \u201calone\u201d and fearful that something was wrong with me. It\u2019s part of why I am already talking to my daughters about periods and fertility<\/a> in age-appropriate ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possible causes of delayed puberty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s in your genes <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a variety of reasons puberty can start late for a young person. The most common reason for delayed puberty is simply because it\u2019s hereditary. There is no medical problem and treatment probably isn\u2019t necessary. Simply being aware that late puberty runs in the family should put everyone\u2019s mind at ease and reassure your late bloomer that she\u2019ll eventually start puberty on her own, and that when it does start, it should progress normally until she’s caught up with her friends.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressors on the body: Low body fat, chronic medical conditions, hormone or chromosomal abnormalities<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The other (and less common) causes of delayed puberty are usually stresses on the body that somehow inhibit hormone production or body growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girls with very little body fat are more likely to have delayed puberty. A 1985 study showed that a minimum body-fat percentage of 17% was necessary for menarche [1]. Girls who are very active in sports like dancing, swimming, or running often have the lean body type that could delay puberty. Also at risk for being underweight and having delayed puberty are girls with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less common reasons for delayed puberty are a large number of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, or even cancer treatments that stress the body and suppress the hormones necessary for puberty. Also to be considered are thyroid or pituitary issues, or even chromosomal abnormalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to be concerned about delayed puberty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The normal age for the start of puberty is 8-13 for girls, and it begins with breast development, which is termed thelarche. In boys, puberty normally begins at age 9-14, and the first sign is testicular growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puberty is considered delayed in girls if any of the following occur: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n