I was taught in college that girls reach puberty earlier now than in prior centuries in part because they are exposed to light for more hours per day thanks to electrification, and puberty is in part triggered by an internal clock keeping track of how much light you’ve been exposed to in your lifetime.
Of course we leaned a lot of shit in college before the internet which turns out to be nonsense now. But I believe exposure to light is more important than we generally recognize. If you trace our evolution back to the beginning, you’ll find light sensitive cells far far earlier than anything involving actual vision.
Ya, my biology professor had a theory that it was because of estrogen being introduced to the water supply through birth control. After the pill was introduced breast size started increasing and girls started reaching puberty earlier. Makes sense.
So! It’s actually kinda crazy how accurate your professor might be. Because progesterone, the chemical in birth control, does indeed break down into estrogen under the right circumstances. The components of broken down progesterone pass through the body via urine, enter the water system, and - this is the important part - is far too small and difficult to be collected or filtered out of the water.
So people taking birth control have absolutley added an insane amount of estrogen to the water supply. And most tap water now does have low levels of estrogen in it because people have been taking birth control for 60+ years.
In that same time, the average age of puberty has continued to fall.
So, it sounds a bit wild, but that theory is far more feasible than most realize.
Oh? What’s his supposed correct age for this?
I was taught in college that girls reach puberty earlier now than in prior centuries in part because they are exposed to light for more hours per day thanks to electrification, and puberty is in part triggered by an internal clock keeping track of how much light you’ve been exposed to in your lifetime.
Of course we leaned a lot of shit in college before the internet which turns out to be nonsense now. But I believe exposure to light is more important than we generally recognize. If you trace our evolution back to the beginning, you’ll find light sensitive cells far far earlier than anything involving actual vision.
I learned something new today.
I also did hear that girls go through puberty sooner because girls now are fatter than they used to be due to a number of factors.
Ya, my biology professor had a theory that it was because of estrogen being introduced to the water supply through birth control. After the pill was introduced breast size started increasing and girls started reaching puberty earlier. Makes sense.
So! It’s actually kinda crazy how accurate your professor might be. Because progesterone, the chemical in birth control, does indeed break down into estrogen under the right circumstances. The components of broken down progesterone pass through the body via urine, enter the water system, and - this is the important part - is far too small and difficult to be collected or filtered out of the water.
So people taking birth control have absolutley added an insane amount of estrogen to the water supply. And most tap water now does have low levels of estrogen in it because people have been taking birth control for 60+ years.
In that same time, the average age of puberty has continued to fall.
So, it sounds a bit wild, but that theory is far more feasible than most realize.
I always heard it was partly due to all the hormones we put in cows to keep them pregnant, and then we drink the milk.
Girls are having puberty without the consent of their congressmen?!
I would argue that since the internet we have learned a fair share of unadulterated garbage though let’s be real
also increased nutrition.