GROWING UP Have you heard about puberty? HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT PUBERTY? Puberty is an important time in your life! At puberty, you experience a lot of changes that take you from being a child to an adult. Many of these changes affect your body, but they also affect your thoughts and feelings. Puberty usually begins between the ages of eight and sixteen and lasts from two to six years. Sometimes puberty starts earlier for females than for males. There is nothing you can do to speed it up or slow it down. Every person is unique and changes happen when your body is ready. How does puberty start? Puberty starts when your body releases hormones which are chemical messages that travel through the bloodstream. The pituitary gland, at the base of the brain, releases these hormones. When the time is right for you, these hormonal messages travel to the reproductive organs, or gonads: the ovaries in a female and the testicles in a male. The ovaries are two small organs on either side of the uterus containing thousands of tiny egg cells called ova. When the ovaries receive the hormone, they start to make their own hormones called estrogen and progesterone. Females also produce some testosterone which is another hormone. The testicles are two small organs in the scrotum, which is the loose bag of skin that hangs behind the penis. The testicles are where sperm are made. When the testicles Female Internal Anatomy fallopian tube ovary uterus cervix vagina Male Internal Anatomy bladder vas deferens urethra testicle receive the hormone, they start to make their own hormone called testosterone. Males also produce some estrogen and progesterone. When the ovaries and testicles start to produce their own hormones, many other changes start to happen. How much will you change during puberty? You will go through many changes during puberty! Your body will grow larger — sometimes very quickly. Arms and legs get longer, but so do all the parts of your body. Once puberty starts, your body will show major changes over the next two or three years. Some people may grow up to 10cm (four inches) in one year during a “growth spurt”. As your body grows taller, it will change in other ways too; you will gain weight, and your overall shape will change. How does my body know what changes to make? Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone cause many different changes. Estrogen and progesterone cause hips to widen and breasts to develop. They also make the ovaries, uterus and vulva grow and mature. About a year or two after the breasts start to develop, a girl will have her first menstrual period. Testosterone causes shoulders to widen, voices to deepen, bodies to become more muscular, and facial and possibly chest hair to grow. It also causes the penis, scrotum, and testicles to grow and mature. Everyone has different amounts of these hormones, the changes will depend on your hormone levels and your genes (the characteristics that get passed on from your birth parents). Are the changes the same for boys and for girls? Yes... and no. Most of the changes are the same for boys and girls. It depends on the type of hormone and the amount that your body will produce. Both boys and girls grow taller and become heavier. The voice becomes deeper for everyone, but especially in boys. You start to sweat more, especially under the arms; the sweat will have an odour. Another change that happens to everyone at puberty is hair growth. The body hair on your arms, legs and face may become darker and thicker. New hair begins to grow under the arms and in the pubic area around the genitals (penis and vulva). The skin on the face and the hair follicles start to produce more oil. When pores get blocked with oil and dirt, you may get blackheads and pimples. I’m happy one minute Hormones also affect the brain. and the next Your mood may change very minute I think quickly. You may feel happy one I’m going to minute and sad the next. You scream! may feel confused, get angry quickly, and fight with your friends and family. If you feel down or depressed for more than two weeks talk with a caring adult. What changes are caused by testosterone? Changes that occur from the hormone testosterone mainly affect boys. Testosterone makes the larynx (also known as the vocal cords or Adam’s apple) grow, and this deepens the voice. As the larynx gets bigger, it may stick out a bit in the front of the throat, and sometimes a voice makes squeaky sounds until the larynx is finished growing. In boys, testosterone makes the penis get thicker and longer. Penises come in all shapes and sizes. All boys are born with skin that covers the head of the penis, called foreskin. Some penises are circumcised, which means the foreskin has been surgically removed. Sometimes the penis gets stiff and sticks out from the body. This is called an erection and happens to all penises from the time a boy is born. During puberty, boys will probably notice that they are getting erections more frequently. This can happen when a boy is thinking about someone he is attracted to or sometimes for no reason at all. All boys have erections during sleep. Beginning at puberty, when a boy wakes up, he may find some white sticky stuff on his pyjamas or sheets. When this happens, he has had a wet dream. The fluid that comes out of the penis while sleeping is called semen. Having wet dreams means a boy has started to produce sperm, the male reproductive cell. Sperm cells are too small to be seen, but they are in the semen. The sperm travel from the testicles, pick up fluid from glands along the way, and then come out through the penis. Any time that this fluid comes out it is called ejaculation. Starting at puberty, people may also start to have sexual feelings. Masturbation, or self pleasuring, is when someone touches or rubs their genitals to get a pleasurable feeling. Sometimes during masturbation, an intense, pleasurable feeling (called orgasm) occurs, and a boy may ejaculate semen from his penis. Wow! This puberty stuff is full of so many new feelings! What changes are caused by estrogen and progesterone? Physical changes caused by estrogen and progesterone mainly affect girls. When breasts begin to grow, estrogen makes them feel sensitive. First, there is a little bump behind the nipple, then some swelling and growth under each breast until they reach their final size and shape. Breasts develop in all shapes and sizes. Breast development can also happen in males at puberty but it is usually only temporary. In puberty, the vulva grows and becomes more sensitive, especially the organ at the top of the vulva called the clitoris. Masturbation or self-pleasuring, when a person rubs or touches their genitals in a way that feels good, can cause a strong pleasurable feeling called an orgasm. Girls may start to notice a slippery substance coming from the vagina that leaves a little white or yellow stain on the underwear. This is called vaginal discharge or mucus. It’s one of the signs that she will probably get her first period within a year. How often During puberty, an ovary will will my period release one of the thousands happen? of tiny eggs a female is born with into the fallopian tube. This is called ovulation. The egg lives for about 24 hours and then dissolves. Hormones send messages to the uterus to build up a lining of blood and tissue so that if an egg is fertilized by sperm, the growing cells will be able to attach themselves to this lining. This is called pregnancy. If the egg isn’t fertilized, it dissolves and two weeks later the lining will flow out of the vagina. This flow of fluid and blood is called menstruation, or a period. Ovulation usually happens once a month. Two weeks after ovulation, the period starts. Periods happen usually once every 21-42 days. Sometimes when puberty first begins, periods happen irregularly, but eventually they start to become more predictable. Some girls mark the first day of the period on a calendar, to learn about the body and to help predict the next period. When a girl gets her period, she will need to use something to absorb the fluid from the vagina so it doesn’t stain her clothes. Some girls use pads that attach to the underwear; some use tampons or other menstrual products that catch the fluid before it leaves the body. The vagina, like noses and eyes, keeps itself moist and clean and there is no need to wash inside. The vulva (the outside part) can be cleaned by bathing or showering daily with mild soap and water. What about making babies? At puberty, your body is maturing so that you may be able to reproduce (or “make a baby”) one day — although not everyone wants to or can make a baby. When adults want to make a baby, one egg has to join with one sperm. One way is that a sperm can fertilize an egg during sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. This is also called “making love” or “having sex”. egg sperm People have sexual intercourse for all kinds of reasons, not just to make a baby. Babies can also be made by having the egg and sperm join together with the help of a doctor in a clinic. When two adults want to make a baby through sexual intercourse, their bodies get ready. The penis gets erect and the vagina becomes slippery inside. When they are both ready, the erect penis slides into the vagina or the vagina slides around the penis. One person or both will have an intense, pleasurable feeling called orgasm. During orgasm, semen is ejaculated into One of the the vagina. The semen contains reasons for puberty is so that someday millions of tiny sperm cells. If it is your body may be near to the time when the female able to make ovulates (releases an egg), the a baby! sperm may meet with the egg in the fallopian tube. Only one out of the millions of sperm can fertilize the egg. When this happens, the cells of the egg divide and grow, and travel down the fallopian tube into the uterus. If this group of cells attaches to the lining of the uterus, then a pregnancy happens. Are all of the changes at puberty physical? No, there are also emotional changes during puberty. It’s common to be moody, to get upset, or to cry for no reason. You may fight with friends or start changing Hey! Why are my feet suddenly so big? friends as your interests change. You may feel awkward, because some parts of your body, like your feet, grow more quickly than others. You may also have a crush on someone or romantic feelings for a person. It may be someone you know or someone you don’t know (like a celebrity), someone the same age as you or a different age from you, someone of the opposite sex or the same sex as you. You may start to have sexual feelings, thoughts, or fantasies. Puberty is a time when you are trying to figure out who you are: your values, feelings, who you are attracted to, and how to be attractive in return. You may have problems with friends or family or worry about school. It’s important to find someone to talk to when you are worried. Friends, family, or other caring adults can help you. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with someone you know, you can call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 More questions? Sometimes sexual feelings or touches can be confusing or unwanted. When touching or attention makes you uncomfortable, it is important to talk about it with a trusted adult. Remember, your body belongs to you! Talking to people who understand what you’re going through can help make the changes of puberty less stressful. If you have questions, speak to someone you feel comfortable going to for help: maybe a parent, an older brother or sister, a relative, or someone else whom you trust. What can you do to feel good during puberty? • Remember that it’s normal to put on weight during puberty. You’re growing and your body shape is changing. • Regular baths or showers will wash away sweat and bacteria. Using deodorant can help reduce body odour. • Washing your face every day with mild soap and warm water can help reduce pimples and blackheads. • To look good and feel well, eat healthy food, be active, and get involved in activities at school and in your neighbourhood. Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 www.kidshelpphone.ca AIDS and Sexual Health InfoLine 416-392-2437 PH1303GB043
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