Puberty – Pupil Fact File
What is puberty?
Puberty is when a child’s body begins to develop and change as they become an adult. Girls develop
breasts and start their periods, and boys develop a deeper voice and start to look like men.
What causes puberty?
Hormones are busy in your body from birth but it’s when you reach puberty that certain hormones are
produced and they bring about the changes that take you from a child to an adult. Puberty begins at
different times for different people. Typically, girls will begin puberty between the ages of 8 and 14 and
for boys it might be around the age of 13 or 14. For some, it may happen earlier or later and that is normal.
If it’s much earlier or much later than those ages, then it is a good idea to see your local GP just to check
that all is happening as it should.
How will I know if I have it?
Girls
•
The first sign of puberty in girls is usually that their breasts begin to develop. It’s normal for the nipple
to feel lumpy and look swollen; breast buds can often be very tender. Also, it’s normal and very
common for one breast to start to develop several months before the other one.
• Pubic hair also starts to grow and some girls may notice more hair on their legs and arms.
After a year or so of puberty beginning, and for the next couple of years:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Girls’ breasts continue to grow and become fuller
Around two years after beginning puberty, girls usually have their first period
Pubic hair becomes coarser and curlier
Underarm hair begins to grow. Some girls also have hair in other parts of their body, such as their
top lip. This is completely normal
Girls start to sweat more
Girls often get acne – a skin condition that shows up as different types of spots including whiteheads,
blackheads and pus-filled spots called pustules
Girls have a white vaginal discharge which can show on your underwear. This sometimes can be a
pale pink colour. This is showing that your body is getting ready to have a bleed (period)
Girls go through a growth spurt. From the time their periods start, girls grow 5 – 7.5cm (2-3 inches)
annually over the next year or two, then reach their adult height
Most girls gain weight – and it’s normal for this to happen – as their body shape changes. Girls
develop more body fat along their upper arms, thighs and upper back. Their hips grow rounder and
their waist gets narrower
Mood changes and feeling angry and tearful are common and normal
After about four years of puberty in girls
•
•
•
•
Breasts become adult-like
Pubic hair has spread to the inner thigh
Genitals should now be fully developed
Girls stop growing taller
www.facts4life.org
Boys
•
The first sign of puberty in boys is usually that their testicles get bigger and the scrotum begins to
thin and redden
• Pubic hair also starts to appear at the base of the penis
After a year or so of puberty starting, and for the next couple of years:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The penis and testicles grow and the scrotum gradually becomes darker
Pubic hair becomes thicker and curlier
Underarm hair starts to grow
Boys start to sweat mor
Breasts can swell slightly temporarily – this is normal and is not the same as ‘man-boobs’
Boys may have ‘wet dreams’ (involuntary ejaculations of semen as they sleep)
Their voice ‘breaks’ and gets permanently deeper. For a while, a boy might find his voice goes very
deep one minute and very high the next
• Boys often develop acne – a skin condition that shows up as different types of spots, including
whiteheads, blackheads and pus-filled spots called pustules
• Boys go through a growth spurt and become taller by an average of 7-8cms (around 3 inches)
annually, and more muscular
• Mood changes and feelings of anger and aggression are common and normal
After about four years of puberty in boys
•
•
•
Genitals look like an adult’s and pubic hair has spread to the inner thighs
Facial hair begins to grow and boys may start shaving
Many boys get taller at a slower rate and generally stop growing in their late teens (but may continue
to get more muscular into their early twenties)
• Most boys will have reached full sexual maturity by 18 years of age
Brain Development
As you grow, not only does your body alter, but you also your brain changes and you develop new thinking
pathways. Just as different parts of your body grow at different rates, so do the different parts of your
brain.
Your brain can be described as being in three parts, the first part to develop is often called the Reptilian
Brain; it controls the basic functions of the body like breathing and your heart beat. It also controls the
instinctive fight, flight or freeze responses to potential threat.
The second part to develop is the Limbic Brain and this part is associated with feelings and memories. This
is why younger children can have very emotional responses when the issue doesn’t seem to warrant it from
an adult perspective (this may be classed as temper tantrums; it’s simply raw emotion. In adolescence, this
becomes mood swings expressed as anger, sadness, aggression and general low mood).
The third part is the Neo-Cortex. This is the logical thinking part of the brain and doesn’t stop forming until
late teens early 20s for females and later 20s to 30 for males. This is why teenage brains find it hard to
consider consequences of their actions.
www.facts4life.org
Is treatment needed?
Puberty is a normal part of growing up and the experience of it will vary from one person to the next. Some
people will find the changes easy while others may find them hard and this can change from one day to
the next. Just as the body is changing, so too are the emotions and feelings that you will experience. These
changes can all feel like a bit of a rollercoaster at times and you might find your mood changes quite a lot,
sometimes people call these mood swings.
If you are worried or confused about any part of puberty, it may help to talk to a close friend or relative.
Just as with any problem or concern, it is important to have trusted people who you can turn to for advice
or simply a chat about what’s going on and how you feel.
It is important to eat healthily, exercise two or three times a week and get plenty of sleep- most teenagers
need 9 hours sleep but often will get less than 6. Sleep helps your body and mind to rest, make sense of
what you have learned through the day but more importantly to grow and develop.
Who is affected?
Everyone will experience puberty as they grow from a child into an adult.
Information adapted from the NHS Choices website. For more information, please visit:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/puberty/Pages/puberty-signs.aspx
Other useful websites
http://gloucestershire.respectyourself.info/
http://www.teenagehealthfreak.org/
www.facts4life.org