Maternal Dispatches with Hollie McKay

Maternal Dispatches with Hollie McKay

Why Science Has Ignored Boys' Puberty — And What It's Costing Them

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Hollie McKay
Oct 02, 2026
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The question sounds deceptively simple: When did your son’s voice break? Yet that biological milestone, long dismissed as an awkward footnote in adolescence, may carry more clinical significance than anyone has publicly reckoned with.

Researchers now say the timing of when a boy hits puberty may predict his long-term risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or depression, and could help explain why men, on average, die younger than women.

The insights I discovered researching this piece are fascinating.

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