More Than a Funny Word
OK, so it's a funny word . . . but what
is
puberty, anyway? Puberty is the name for when your body begins to
develop and change. During puberty, your body will
grow
faster than any other time in your life, except for when you were
an infant. Back then, your body was growing rapidly and you were
learning new things - you'll be doing these things and much
more during puberty. Except this time, you won't have diapers
or a rattle and you'll have to dress yourself!
It's good to know about the changes that come along with
puberty before they happen, and it's really important to
remember that everybody goes through it. No matter where you live,
whether you're a guy or a girl, or whether you like hip-hop or
country music, you will experience the changes that occur during
puberty. No two people are exactly alike. But one thing all adults
have in common is they made it through puberty.
Time to Change
When your body reaches a certain age, your brain releases a
special hormone that starts the changes of puberty. It's called
gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or GnRH for short. When GnRH
reaches the
pituitary gland
(a pea-shaped gland that sits just under the brain), this gland
releases into the bloodstream two more puberty hormones:
luteinizing hormone (LH for short) and follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH for short). Guys and girls have both of these hormones in
their bodies. And depending on whether you're a guy or a girl,
these hormones go to work on different parts of the body.
For guys, these hormones travel through the blood and give the
testes the signal to begin the production of testosterone and
sperm. Testosterone is the hormone that causes most of the changes
in a guy's body during puberty. Sperm cells must be produced
for men to reproduce.
In girls, FSH and LH target the ovaries, which contain eggs that
have been there since birth. The hormones stimulate the ovaries to
begin producing another hormone called estrogen. Estrogen, along
with FSH and LH, causes a girl's body to mature and prepares
her for pregnancy.
So that's what's really happening during puberty -
it's all these new chemicals moving around inside your body,
turning you from a teen into an adult with adult levels of
hormones.
Puberty usually starts some time between age 8 and 13 in girls
and 10 and 15 in guys. Some people
start puberty
a bit earlier or
later
, though. Each person is a little different, so everyone starts and
goes through puberty on his or her body's own schedule. This is
one of the reasons why some of your friends might still look like
kids, whereas others look more like adults.
It Doesn't Hurt . . . It's Just a Growth Spurt
"Spurt" is the word used to describe a short burst of
activity, something that happens in a hurry. And a
growth spurt
is just that: Your body is growing, and it's happening really
fast! When you enter puberty, it might seem like your sleeves are
always getting shorter and your pants always look like you're
ready for a flood - that's because you're experiencing a
major growth spurt. It lasts for about 2 to 3 years. When that
growth spurt is at its peak, some people grow 4 or more inches
in a year.
This growth during puberty will be the last time your body grows
taller. After that, you will be at your adult height. But your
height isn't the only thing that will be changing.
Taking Shape
As your body grows taller, it will change in other ways, too.
You will gain weight, and as your body becomes heavier, you'll
start to notice changes in its overall shape. Guys' shoulders
will grow wider, and their bodies will become more muscular. Their
voices will become deeper. For some guys, the
breasts
may grow a bit, but for most of them this growth goes away by the
end of puberty.
Guys will notice other changes, too, like the lengthening and
widening of the penis and the enlargement of the testes. All of
these changes mean that their bodies are developing as expected
during puberty.
Girls' bodies usually become curvier. They gain weight on
their hips, and their breasts develop, starting with just a little
swelling under the nipple. Sometimes
one breast
might develop more quickly than the other, but most of the time
they soon even out. With all this growing and developing going on,
girls will notice an increase in body fat and occasional
soreness
under the nipples as the breasts start to enlarge - and that's
normal.
Gaining some weight is part of developing into a woman, and
it's unhealthy for girls to go on a diet to try to stop this
normal weight gain. If you ever have questions or concerns about
your
weight
, talk it over with your doctor.
Usually about 2 to 21/2 years after girls' breasts start to
develop, they get their first
menstrual period
. This is one more thing that lets a girl know puberty is
progressing and the puberty hormones have been doing their job.
Girls have two ovaries, and each ovary holds thousands of eggs.
During the menstrual cycle, one of the eggs comes out of an ovary
and begins a trip through the fallopian tube, ending up in the
uterus (the uterus is also called the womb).
Before the egg is released from the ovary, the uterus has been
building up its lining with extra blood and tissue. If the egg is
fertilized by a sperm cell, it stays in the uterus and grows into a
baby, using that extra blood and tissue to keep it healthy and
protected as it's developing.
Most of the time, though, the egg is only passing through. When
the egg doesn't get fertilized, the uterus no longer needs the
extra blood and tissue, so it leaves the body through the vagina as
a menstrual period. A period usually lasts from 5 to 7 days, and
about 2 weeks after the start of the period a new egg is released,
which marks the middle of each cycle.
Hair, Hair, Everywhere
Well, maybe not everywhere. But one of the first signs of
puberty is hair growing where it didn't grow before. Guys and
girls both begin to grow hair under their arms and in their pubic
areas (on and around the genitals). It starts out looking light and
sparse. Then as you go through puberty, it becomes longer, thicker,
heavier, and darker. Eventually, guys also start to grow hair on
their faces.
About Face
Another thing that comes with puberty is
acne
, or pimples. Acne is triggered by puberty hormones. Pimples
usually start around the beginning of puberty and can stick around
during adolescence (the teen years). You may notice pimples on your
face, your upper back, or your upper chest. It helps to keep your
skin clean, and your doctor will be able to offer some suggestions
for clearing up acne. The good news about acne is that it usually
gets better or disappears by the end of adolescence.
Putting the P.U. in Puberty
A lot of teens notice that they have a new smell under their
arms and elsewhere on their bodies when they enter puberty, and
it's not a pretty one. That smell is body odor, and everyone
gets it. As you enter puberty, the puberty hormones affect glands
in your skin, and the glands make chemicals that smell bad. These
chemicals put the scent in adolescent!
So what can you do to feel less stinky? Well, keeping clean is a
good way to lessen the smell. You might want to take a shower every
day, either in the morning before school, or the night before.
Using deodorant (or deodorant with antiperspirant) every day can
help keep body odor in check, too.
There's More?
Guys and girls will also notice other body changes as they enter
puberty, and they're all normal changes. Girls might see and
feel a white, mucous-like
discharge
from the vagina. This doesn't mean anything is wrong - it is
just another sign of your changing body and hormones.
Guys will start to get
erections
(when the penis fills with blood and becomes hard). Erections
happen when guys fantasize and think about sexual things or
sometimes for no reason at all. They may experience something
called nocturnal emissions (or wet dreams), when the penis becomes
erect while a guy is sleeping and he ejaculates. When a guy
ejaculates, semen comes out of the penis - semen is a fluid that
contains sperm. That's why they're called wet dreams - they
happen when you're sleeping and your underwear or the bed might
be a little wet when you wake up. Wet dreams become less frequent
as guys progress through puberty, and they eventually stop. Guys
will also notice that their voices may "crack" and
eventually get deeper.
Change Can Feel Kind of Strange
Just as those hormones create changes in the way your body looks
on the outside, they also create changes on the inside. While your
body is adjusting to all the new hormones, so is your mind. During
puberty, you might feel confused or have strong emotions that
you've never experienced before. You may feel anxious about how
your changing body looks.
You might feel overly sensitive or become easily upset. Some
teens lose their tempers more than usual and get angry at their
friends or families.
Sometimes it can be difficult to deal with all of these new
emotions. Usually people aren't trying to hurt your feelings or
upset you on purpose. It might not be your family or friends making
you angry - it might be your new "puberty brain" trying
to adjust. And while the adjustment can feel difficult in the
beginning, it will gradually become easier. It can help to talk to
someone and share the burden of how you're feeling - a friend
or, even better, a parent, older sibling, or adult who's gone
through it all before.
You might have new, confusing feelings about sex - and lot of
questions. The adult hormones estrogen and testosterone are signals
that your body is giving you new responsibilities, like the ability
to create a child. That's why it's important to get all
your questions answered.
It's easy to feel embarrassed or anxious when talking about
sex, but you need to be sure you have all the right information.
Some teens can talk to their
parents
about sex and get all their questions answered. But if you feel
funny talking to your parents about sex, there are many other
people to talk to, like your
doctor
, a school nurse, a teacher, a school counselor, or another adult
you feel comfortable talking with.
Developing Differently
People are all a little different from one another, so it makes
sense that they don't all develop in the same way. No two
people are at exactly the same stage as they go through puberty,
and everyone changes at his or her own pace. Some of your friends
may be getting curves, whereas you don't have any yet. Maybe
your best friend's voice has changed, and you think you still
sound like a kid with a high, squeaky voice. Or maybe you're
sick of being the tallest girl in your class or the only boy who
has to shave.
But eventually everyone catches up, and the differences between
you and your friends will even out. It's also good to keep in
mind that there is no right or wrong way to look. That's what
makes us human - we all have qualities that make us unique, on the
inside and the outside.
Reviewed by:
Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: April 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2009 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. All rights reserved.