TOP FACTS ABOUT PUBERTY

Puberty is the period of life when the body and mind change from those of a child to those of an adult.

A lot changes during this time in your body such as hormones, pubic hair, voice, breasts, penis, vagina. 

Your emotions also change. One minute you’re laughing, the next you feel down. These changing moods are part of puberty.

The speed of changes during puberty is different for everyone. Lots of young people wonder what changes are normal and may feel ashamed or insecure. Remember: you’re not the only one!

At what age does puberty start and end?

It usually starts as early as 8 to 11 years in girls. 

And as early as 10 to 13 years in boys. 

But this varies from person to person.   

Puberty usually ends between the ages of 16 and 17 for girls and between 16 and 18 for boys.  

Is puberty painful?

Most teenagers go through puberty without experiencing any pain.

In a few cases, mild pain is due to the rapid growth of the body. For example, muscles might hurt if they cannot keep up with the growth of the bones they are attached to. 

Rapidly growing breasts might feel sore. Girls might experience some abdominal pain before or during menstruation. 

Boys’ testicles might become extremely sensitive as they develop. 

All these are normal.  

What if puberty doesn’t begin?

If some of your friends have already started changing in puberty but you still haven’t, it is completely normal. 

Different people enter puberty at different ages. 

Puberty may start as early as 8 years (in girls) and as late as 14 years. If you don’t see any changes in your body by the age of 14, have a chat with your doctor. 

Several factors that might delay puberty are:

• Excessive exercise 
• Malnutrition 
• Certain chronic illness 
• A body fat percentage below a certain level

In cases like these, doctors sometimes prescribe growth hormones in an attempt to jump-start puberty 

Will I ever catch up to my friends?

Eventually, yes. 

We all become adults at some point, but the time it takes to get there varies per person.  

There seems to be no relationship between the time at which puberty starts and the speed at which changes happen. 

It is simply a fact of life that some people enter puberty earlier than others and some move faster through the transition while others need more time.

What is adolescence?

While the word puberty is usually used to indicate the physical changes that boys and girls experience during their transition to adulthood, adolescence has a much broader meaning that includes physical, psychological, and social changes. 

Puberty and adolescence refer to similar periods in our lives, but the psychological and social transformation of adolescence usually starts a bit later than physical changes of puberty do. Adolescence also tends to last longer.