Growing up: Information for girls about puberty (2024)

FAQs

Growing up: Information for girls about puberty? ›

Puberty in girls usually begins between the ages of 8 and 13 and lasts for several years. It is the time where your body develops and matures. Puberty prepares your body so one day you will be able to have a baby. The changes are caused by natural substances in your body called hormones.

Puberty in girls usually begins between the ages of 8 and 13 and lasts for several years. It is the time where your body develops and matures. Puberty prepares your body so one day you will be able to have a baby. The changes are caused by natural substances in your body called hormones.

Physical changes for girls around puberty

Body shape - Your hips will widen and your body will get curvier. Height - You will grow taller. Acne - You may develop acne. This is a condition of the skin that shows up as bumps – most commonly on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back and chest.

These are normal changes that may happen during puberty. Her body size will increase, with the feet, arms, legs, and hands beginning to grow in advance of the body. This may cause a girl to feel clumsy. As the puberty hormones increase, teens may have an increase in oily skin and sweating.

In girls, puberty usually starts between ages 9 and 14. Once it begins, it lasts about 2 to 5 years.

Some of these changes include: bone growth; getting taller; making hormones in the adrenal glands and ovaries; growing pubic hair, underarm hair, and breasts; and the start of regular, monthly menstrual bleeding. Ultitmately puberty causes the girl to become fertile and release eggs regularly.

For girls, puberty usually starts around age 11. But it can start as early as age 6 or 7. For boys, puberty begins around age 12. It can start as early as age 9.

Changes to your body will happen gradually, over many years:

Your body grows more curves and your hips and thighs get a bit wider. It's normal and healthy for you to gain weight while going through puberty. You will start growing hair under your arms, on your legs and in your pubic area. You will also grow in height.

What happens to girls when they grow up? ›

Girls' bodies usually become curvier. Their hips get wider and their breasts develop, starting with just a little swelling under the nipples. Sometimes one breast grows more quickly than the other, but most of the time they even out.

During puberty your child's emotions may become stronger and more intense. Their mood might change more frequently, quickly and randomly. Your child may have strong emotions that they've never experienced before. It's common for them to feel confused, scared or angry and not know why.

Periods usually begin at around the age of 12. Some girls will start them later, and some earlier – everyone is different. To start with, periods might not happen every month but from the ages of around 16 to 18 most people who menstruate will find their periods are regular.

Puberty is the body's natural process of sexual maturation. Puberty's trigger lies in a small part of the brain called the hypothalamus, a gland that secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

Girls who start puberty early – age 8 instead of 13 – face more challenges with handling physical changes because they are more childlike in their knowledge, cognitive development, and emotional understanding of what goes on around them. Puberty for girls also has effects on social and cultural context.

By the time they're 6 or 7 years old, most kids can understand the basics of periods. Look for a natural moment to talk about it, such as: when kids asks about puberty or changing bodies. if your child asks where babies come from.

Lean body mass in girls diminishes from approximately 80 percent to 75 percent by the end of puberty, while the amount of body fat increases. In comparison, the percentage of lean muscle mass in boys increases from about 80 percent to 90 percent by the time they reach adulthood.

Does a girl grow after puberty? ›

Once girls start to menstruate, they usually grow about 1 or 2 more inches, reaching their final adult height by about age 14 or 15 years (younger or older depending on when puberty began).

Breasts usually start to develop around the age of 9 to 11, but it's normal for them to start earlier or later. If a girl's breasts start to develop at a younger age, this doesn't mean she'll have bigger breasts than someone who starts to develop later. The rate at which breasts grow is different for everyone.

When your daughter starts to go through puberty, her gonads (ovaries) and adrenal glands (glands that sit on top of the kidneys) release hormones. These hormones cause the first signs of puberty, which are breast development, body odor, underarm hair, pubic hair and acne (pimples).

In females, stage 5 usually happens around age 15. Changes include: Breasts reach approximate adult size and shape, though breasts can continue to change through age 18.

In Stage 2, physical changes begin. Between the ages of 8 and 13, girls typically experience: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areolas (pigmented area around the nipple) enlarge. Scant pubic hair appears.

The average age for girls to start puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12. But it's perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys.

Addressing Physical and Mental Changes of Early Puberty

Your child may have a noticeable growth spurt because of their early puberty, but one of its complications is an abrupt and early end of that growth, leading to short stature as an adult.

Men are most satisfied when they are 3 inches (8cm) taller than their partners. Another study found that among men, 13.5 percent prefer to date only women shorter than them. But among women, about half (48.9 percent) preferred to date only men taller than them.

Puberty results in very rapid somatic growth, brain development, sexual maturation, and attainment of reproductive capacity. It is accompanied by final maturation of multiple organ systems and major changes in the central nervous system and in psychosocial behavior (Patton and Viner 2007).

Mental and Physical Development

Girls grow faster than boys and may have major growth spurts at 10. Your daughter might start showing the first signs of puberty, so their breasts may start to form. As their body begins to develop, their body image might start to become an issue.

What does it mean when a girl looks at your chest? ›

Men: If a woman seems focused on your face and chest, she sees romantic potential. A gaze that wanders from your chest to your hips to your legs reveals that she's interested in you—but it could either friendship or something more intimate.

As they move toward puberty, their hormones begin to fluctuate, causing emotional instability. 1 Tweens also lack the emotional development to fully control their moods. In other words, they express exactly what they're feeling like they're feeling it.

Puberty is associated with emotional and hormonal changes, as well as physical changes such as breast development in females (thelarche), pubic hair development (pubarche), genital changes in males, voice changes, an increase in height, and the onset of menstruation (menarche).

One of the big changes you might notice is that your child wants to spend more time with friends and peers and less time with family. At the same time, it might seem like you and your child are having more arguments. This is normal, as children seek more independence.

Menarche is defined as the first menstrual period in a female adolescent. Menarche typically occurs between the ages of 10 and 16, with the average age of onset being 12.4 years.

If your daughter hasn't had her first menstrual cycle by 15, or if more than three years have passed since she started developing breasts, she should see a physician.

Your first period should last anywhere from 2 to 7 days. It may be very light, with just a few spots of brownish blood. Or it may start and end more brownish, but be brighter red on heavier flow days.

Researchers and physicians hypothesized about possible causes for the increase in early puberty, such as increasing rates of obesity; greater exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in food, plastics, and personal-care products; and stressful or abusive home environments.

African-American and Hispanic girls tend to reach puberty earlier than their white counterparts, research shows. Editor's Note: Former CNN correspondent Pat Etheridge is a journalist specializing in children's health and family issues.

Precocious puberty happens before age 8 in girls, and before age 9 in boys. Signs can include breast growth, pubic hair, and voice changes. It may be caused by tumors or growths on the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or brain. In many cases, no cause can be found for the disorder.

What triggers first period? ›

The first period typically occurs after a female first ovulates. This happens when the ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube. When this happens, the womb lining thickens in preparation for the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur, the lining sheds, as the body no longer needs it.

The average age for girls to start puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12. But it's perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys.

Premature pubarche, or the development of pubic hair before the age of 8 in girls or 9 in boys, is most commonly caused by premature adrenarche. Adrenarche is the maturation of the adrenal zona reticularis in both boys and girls, resulting in the development of pubic hair, axillary hair, and adult apocrine body odor.