Inside PubertyAn Overview of What to Expect during

Puberty

What is Puberty?

• Puberty is a time in a person’s life when their sexual and reproductive organs mature.

This means……….• This means that the body begins to change in a

variety of ways: size, shape, etc.

• WHAT CAUSES THESE CHANGES TO OCCUR?

Hormones• Long before any outward changes happen,

special hormones begin to be produced inside the bodies of both girls and boys.

o These hormones include many different things, including sexual development and growth.

Girls puberty will begin around age……?

With girls puberty usually begins around

age 11…

• The age at which a girl will begin puberty does vary from one person to another.

• Girls can begin puberty as early as 9 years old and, depending on circumstances and individuality, begin much later when in their teens (though this is rare)

• Girls may continue to grow up to around age 18 when they typically reach full maturity. Again everyone is different.

During this age of change girls may experience these

changes:• Develop acne• Voice changes• AND there is more….

• Height changes• Weight changes• Hair growth (ex. Under

arms, on legs)• Widening of hips• Menstrual cycle

What about the boys?• Boys enter puberty a little later than girls.• Puberty starts for boys around the age of 12.• BUT, physical changes are mostly NOT visible

until ages 13 to 16.• Boys, once puberty begins may continue to grow

up to around 21 years of age.• All boys are different in when they start growing,

how much they grow, and when they reach their adulthood potential.

During a boys age of change they may experience these

changes..• Develop acne• Voice deepens• AND there is more….

• Height changes• Weight changes• Hair growth (ex. Under

arms, on legs)• Sweat more

What will be the differences?

• At age 13 boys and girls will be about the same height and weight.

• But, in many cases, the girls will begin to grow in height earlier than boys will.

• But, in time, many boys will catch and eventually pass the girls in height and weight.

And how they grow….Girls Boys

• At age 15, an average girl will be 5’ 3.7” tall and weigh about 115 lbs.

• At age 18, an average girl will be 5’ 4.2” tall and will weigh 128lbs.

• She will look much different….

• At age 15, an average boy will be 5’ 7” tall and weigh about 124lbs.

• At age 18, an average boy will be 5’ 9.5” tall and will weigh 148lbs.

• He will look much different….

Again……

• While these facts are simply averages for puberty, every ones body is different and changes might happen at different times.

Most changes that happen are physical….

BUT, a person will also experience many emotional changes as well.

Emotional Changes• Coping with a person’s changing body• Frustrations of feeling different

o Being self-conscious about how you look o Comparing yourself to others (bad idea – everyone grows at a different

rate that you cannot control)o Feeling out of control – again you can’t help what’s happening to you,

you just have to ride the wave.

• Mood swings – you too boys….o Quicker to angero Bursting into tears for no obvious reason

• Energy changeso More energy and then suddenly no energy

SLEEP!!!!!

• Sleep is incredibly important to a growing boy or girl.• Sleep and School-aged Children (6-13 years)

o Children aged six to 13 need 9-11 hours of sleep. o At the same time, there is an increasing demand on their time from school

(e.g., homework), sports and other extracurricular and social activities. o In addition, school-aged children become more interested in TV, computers,

the media and Internet as well as caffeine products – all of which can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and disruptions to their sleep.

o In particular, watching TV close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping

• 9-11 hours…………………..just saying :0)

Acne

• Acne is a very common condition which teens struggle with during puberty

• Teens get Acne because of the hormonal changes that come with puberty.

• Teens who’s parents had or have acne are more prone to have acne themselves.

• About 8 out of 10 people will have acne.• For most people acne goes away almost

completely by the time they are out of their teens.