लड़कियों का विकास क्यों रुक जाता है? When girls stop growing and why?

By : Dr. P. D. GUPTA

Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India

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Human body growth is regulated by many factors namely, genetic, nutritional, environmental, physical activity, socioeconomic factors, fetal health, and hormonal factors, and usually follows the pattern of being rapid in early life but gradually decelerating with age until a final body size is attained. Girls grow at a quick pace throughout infancy and childhood. When they reach puberty, growth increases dramatically again. Puberty hits boys slightly later than it does girls.

In general, boys begin puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 years old and experience growth spurts between 12 and 15 years old. This means their biggest growth spurt happens about two years after it does with girls. Most boys stop gaining height by age 16, but their muscles may continue to develop.

There are many factors that affect growth, ranging from malnutrition to medications. Some girls may see a delay in growth due to certain health conditions, such as growth hormone issues, severe arthritis, or cancer.

Genetic conditions play a role as well. For example, girls with Down syndrome, Noonan syndrome, or Turner syndrome may be shorter than their family members. Girls with Marfan’s syndrome may grow taller than their family members.

Once a girl reaches puberty, growth will typically stop a couple of years after her first period. A teen who has delayed growth will have less time to grow before the end of her spurt.

The pituitary gland is a structure in our brain that produces different types of specialised hormones, including growth hormone (also referred to as human growth hormone or HGH). The roles of growth hormone include influencing our height, and helping build our bones and muscles. The main hormones concerned with growth are pituitary growth hormone, thyroid hormone, the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen, and the pituitary gonadotropic (sex-gland-stimulating) hormones.

Why young girls advised to have fast?

Among Hindus it is common practice that young unmarried girls keep fast on Mondays and pray to Lord Shiva to get: Good Match”. However, according to science, It is shown that fasting resulted in increased peak human growth hormone (HGH) concentrations in sleep, but each subject continued her same pattern of release, frequency of peaks, and sequential damping of release during sleep, as did a fourth male subject during a 60-hr fast. HGH release in sleep in fasting exhibited amplification of the normal rhythm. (The author has his own study and views)