Age of Pubertal Maturation of Girls in South Western Nigeria

Background: Secondary sexual characteristics appear at puberty with rapid physical, emotional, and cognitive developments. In girls, thelarche is usually the first sign of puberty, followed by the growth of pubic hair. In Nigeria, unlike many developed countries, there are few studies on puberty. Aim: This study aims to document the age of attainment of all the Tanner stages of sexual maturation, the sequence of these events, and the age of attainment of menarche among female secondary school students in Abeokuta. Subjects and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among girls with an age range between 10 and 20 years of schooling in Abeokuta, South-West Nigeria. Multistage randomly selected participants answered questions on the pro forma. Physical examination including pubertal staging was done. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel® 2010 and SPSS 22.0. Results: Seven hundred and eleven subjects were recruited. The mean age of the subjects was 14.4 ± 1.9 years. The earliest sign of puberty among the subjects, B2, was seen at a mean age of 12.4 ± 1.5 years, followed by the onset of pubic hair development, and PH 2 at a mean age of 13.4 ± 1.7 years. The mean age of attainment of menarche was 13.1 ± 1.7 years, while the age for completion of pubic hair development is 16.2 ± 1.6 years. Out of 499 subjects who had attained menarche, 324 (64.9%) were in Stage 4 of breast development and 307 (61.5%) were in Stage 3 of pubic hair development. Conclusion: The age of onset and completion of pubertal maturation in this study is 12.4 ± 1.5 years and 16.2 ± 1.6 years, respectively. Thelarche as the first sign of puberty is followed by pubic hair development.