Puberty Archives

Timing of puberty varies by up to 14 months among Asian youth

May 13, 2024

New Kaiser Permanente study — the first to analyze pubertal onset by Asian ethnicity — may help explain health disparities seen in Asian adults.

Teenage girls with reproductive health condition are more likely to have high blood pressure

November 14, 2023

A Kaiser Permanente study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions focused on girls with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Neighborhood privilege tied to timing of girls’ puberty

March 8, 2023

New Kaiser Permanente study explores the ties between racial segregation and risk factors for early puberty in Black and Latinx girls.

Childhood weight tied to timing of puberty

August 23, 2022

New Kaiser Permanente study is the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse to date to show an association between early obesity and puberty onset in boys and girls.

Raising awareness about early puberty

September 9, 2021

KP Research Radio talks to Ai Kubo, PhD, MPH, about her research into why girls are starting puberty earlier than they have in the past, risks associated with early puberty — and potential interventions.

Pediatricians at Kaiser Permanente find advantages to video visits with children, families

November 2, 2020

Parents, children, and pediatricians with Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) have found advantages to home-based video medical visits, which have increased markedly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Girls who do not live with both parents more likely to start puberty early

October 28, 2020

New study by research scientist Ai Kubo, MPH, PhD, adds to the evidence suggesting a link between early life family structure and onset of puberty.

Teens, parents, physicians support screening young people for gender identity, study suggests

September 14, 2020

Teenagers who question their gender identity may not feel comfortable bringing up the issue with their doctors. New research suggests that adding gender identity questions to a pre-visit screening could make those conversations easier.

More families are seeking care for gender-questioning children and teens

October 15, 2019

Kaiser Permanente Northern California pediatric transgender clinic sees a sharp rise in referrals from families with children and teens with questions about their gender.

Teen bedtime and sleeping patterns can influence risk of obesity and poor cardiometabolic health

September 16, 2019

Adolescent sleep timing preferences and patterns should be considered risk factors for obesity and cardiometabolic health, according to a new study by researchers with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Mother’s pregnancy weight linked to early puberty in daughters

May 23, 2019

A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 2,000 mothers and daughters found that the amount of weight mothers gained during pregnancy — whether too much or too little — was linked to the earlier onset of puberty in their daughters; the associations were even stronger when the mothers were overweight or obese at the beginning of the pregnancy.

Maternal weight and hyperglycemia linked to early puberty onset in girls

April 16, 2018

In a study of more than 15,000 girls and their mothers — all Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California — maternal overweight and hyperglycemia were linked to the earlier onset of puberty in girls 6 to 11 years old.

Research Spotlight

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