Puberty

What is puberty? When your body begins to develop and change Your body will grow more than any other time in your life (except when you were a baby) Everybody goes through it, at different times

Time to Change The brain releases a special hormone that starts the change in puberty

Time to Change The hormone is gonadotropin Gonadotropin reaches the pituitary gland (sits under the brain)

Male Hormones In boys the hormone that causes most of the changes in the body during puberty is testosterone

Female Hormones In girls, the hormone that causes the body to mature and prepares her for pregnancy is estrogen

When does puberty start? In girls between 10 and 13 In boys between 12 and 15 Some people start puberty a bit earlier or later (everyone is different)

When does puberty start? Delayed puberty is when people pass this age range without showing signs of body change A boy or girl may find that other relatives my also have developed later than normal These teens will eventually develop normally, just later than most of their peers

When does puberty start? Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, or asthma may cause some to go through puberty at an older age These illnesses can make it harder for their bodies to grow and develop

When does puberty start? Someone who is malnourished (not eating enough food, or without the proper nutrients) may develop later

Growth Spurt Your body is growing and it’s happening really fast! This will last 2-3 years Some people will grow 4 or more inches in one year This is the last time your body grows taller

Taking Shape In addition to getting taller, you will gain weight causing changes in your overall size

What happens to boys Shoulders will become wider in boys and they become more muscular

What happens to boys Boy’s voices may become deeper

What happens to boys In some boys, the breasts may grow a little bit (goes away at the end of puberty) Their penis will lengthen and become wider and their testicles (testes) will become bigger

What happens to girls Bodies become curvier Gain weight in the hips Their breasts start to develop (sometimes one breast might develop more quickly than the other Most of the time the breasts even out Girls will notice an increase in weight gain (gaining this weight is normal and expected)

What happens to girls Girls start menstruating (getting their periods)

Secondary Sex Characteristics One of the first signs of puberty is hair growing where it didn’t grow before Both girls and boys begin to grow hair under their arms and in their pubic areas (on an around the genitals)

Secondary Sex Characteristics The hair starts to look light and sparse As puberty continues, the hair becomes longer, thicker, and darker Eventually guys also start to grow hair on their faces

Speaking of Faces… Another thing that comes with puberty is acne (pimples)

Speaking of Faces… Pimples are triggered by hormones They usually start at the beginning of puberty and can stick around during adolescence (teenage years)

Speaking of Faces… You may notice pimples on your face your upper back or on your chest The good news about acne is that it usually gets better or disappears by the end of adolescence.

There’s more… Boys will begin to get erections where the penis fills with blood and becomes hard Erections can happen for no reason at all

There’s more… Boys may also experience nocturnal emissions (wet dreams) Wet dreams occur with the penis becomes erect while sleeping and ejaculation occurs

There’s more… Ejaculation is when semen comes out of the penis Semen is a fluid that contains sperm

There’s more… Wet dreams become less frequent as boys move through puberty Boys will also notice that their voices may “crack” and eventually get deeper

Change can feel kind of strange While your body is adjusting to hormones, so is your mind During puberty, you might feel anxious or have strange feelings that you never experienced before. You may feel overly sensitive about how your changing body looks Some lose their temper more than usual and get mad at their friends and family

Putting the P.U. in Puberty Teens notice that they have a new smell under their arms and elsewhere on their bodies, and it’s not a pretty one. That smell is body odor and everyone gets it!

Putting the P.U. in Puberty During puberty, hormones affect glands in your skin, making chemicals that smell bad

Putting the P.U. in Puberty Keeping clean will help lessen the smell

Putting the P.U. in Puberty You might consider taking a shower every day, either in the morning before school, or the night before

Putting the P.U. in Puberty Using deodorant (especially after phy-ed) can keep body odor in check