AMERICAN boys are going through puberty younger than ever, and black boys
earliest of all, says the researcher who discovered the same phenomenon in girls
in 1997. Though the team has no explanation for this, they fear that it could be
the result of changes in lifestyle and chemical pollutants.
Puberty is a gradual process of sexual development. In boys, it begins with
an increase in the size of the testes and penis and then by the growth of pubic
hair. The first sign for girls is breast development. “For girls, it’s a public
event,” says Marcia Herman-Giddens of the…
