🌸 Why Girls Are Getting Their Periods So Young — and How Functional Medicine Can Help Find the “Why”

By: Dr. Alyssa McPeak

It used to be that girls got their first period (menarche) around age 12 to 14. Today, we’re seeing it happen as early as 8 or 9 years old — and it’s becoming increasingly common.

While some may assume it’s “just how things are now,” early puberty isn’t normal — it’s a sign that something deeper is going on in the body.

At Roots Wholistic Health, we believe it’s important not just to manage these symptoms, but to understand the root cause behind them.

💡 What’s Causing Early Puberty?

There isn’t one single factor — it’s usually a combination of environmental, nutritional, and hormonal stressors that are triggering young girls’ bodies to develop before they’re ready.

Here are some of the most common causes we see:

1. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)

Our kids are exposed to hormone-disrupting chemicals every day — in plastics, personal care products, cleaning supplies, and even food packaging.

These endocrine disruptors mimic estrogen in the body, causing hormone imbalance and sometimes triggering the early onset of puberty.

Common culprits:

• BPA (found in plastics and canned food linings)

• Phthalates (fragrances, perfumes, lotions, shampoos)

• Pesticides and herbicides

• Flame retardants and environmental toxins

2. Poor Nutrition & Blood Sugar Imbalance

The modern diet is high in processed carbs, seed oils, and added sugars — and low in nutrients that support healthy hormone function.

When blood sugar levels are chronically high, it increases insulin and leptin, two hormones that can push estrogen levels higher and accelerate puberty.

3. Obesity & Inflammation

Higher body fat levels in children can increase estrogen production, as fat tissue itself releases estrogen. Inflammation from poor diet, gut issues, or environmental toxins further disrupts hormone regulation and can throw off the timing of puberty.

4. Chronic Stress

Even at a young age, emotional or environmental stress can trigger hormonal shifts. High cortisol (stress hormone) can affect the delicate balance between the brain and reproductive system — signaling the body to start maturing earlier than it should.

5. Gut Health & Liver Detoxification

The gut and liver play a huge role in metabolizing and clearing excess hormones. If your child has gut inflammation, food sensitivities, or poor detoxification, estrogen can build up in the system — leading to early puberty symptoms.

How Functional Medicine Testing Helps

Functional medicine doesn’t guess — it tests. Instead of focusing only on symptoms, we look at why your child’s hormones are out of balance in the first place.

At Roots Wholistic Health, we use targeted functional testing to get real answers, such as:

• Hormone panels – to see estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, cortisol levels and more.

• Comprehensive gut testing – to identify inflammation, dysbiosis, or poor hormone metabolism.

• Toxin and heavy metal testing – to uncover environmental exposure to endocrine disruptors.

• Micronutrient testing – to ensure she’s getting the nutrients her hormones need to stay balanced.

Once we identify the imbalances, we create a personalized plan to restore health naturally — supporting the body’s detox pathways, balancing nutrition, and reducing environmental triggers.

🌿 Helping Girls Grow Up Healthy, Naturally

Early puberty can be scary for both parents and kids — emotionally, physically, and socially. But it’s also an incredible opportunity to intervene early and help your child’s body find balance again. If these imbalances continue into adulthood, it increases her risk factors of infertility, certain cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

Through chiropractic care, functional medicine testing, and nutritional support, we can guide families to the root cause and help restore the body’s natural rhythm.

If you’ve noticed early signs of puberty in your daughter — such as breast development, hair growth, mood changes, or early menstruation — don’t wait and see. There’s always a reason, and together, we can find it.

✨ At Roots Wholistic Health, we help families uncover the root cause of hormonal imbalances through functional medicine and personalized care — so girls can grow up strong, healthy, and in sync with their natural rhythm.

📍 Located in Waupaca, WI | 🌐 rootswholistichealth.com📞 715-258-7001 | Schedule a functional medicine consult today to learn more.