Timing of puberty

Abstract

The timing of the onset of puberty varies from child to child. Family and ethnic characteristics as well as a secular trend are evident, which give some framework to the temporal aspect. Yet the step into puberty in the individual child is not so easy to predict, as many individual endogenous and exogenous elements have an influence. How can the great temporal variability of the onset of puberty be explained? The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the factors that play a significant role in the timing of puberty.