Health Advice Women Only

Surviving Puberty

Puberty is a stage of development just like moving from being an infant to a toddler and normally begins in girls around the age of 11-12 and around 13-14 for boys.

Puberty is the time in your life when your body starts changing from that of a child to that of an adult. It is the process of physical development from the first signs of adolescence to full adult maturity.

These changes are brought about by a series of chemical signals (hormones), conveyed from the brain to the pituitary gland in the head, then from the pituitary to the sex glands, the ovaries in girls and the testes in boys.

Puberty is a time of immense physical and emotional changes. Girls normally start to develop breasts and pubic hair and the monthly period cycle (menstruation) begins.

Puberty is considered to be delayed if none of the above features are present by the age of 16 and is considered early (precocious) if any of the above features are present before the age of eleven.

Delayed puberty can be hereditary but may also be due to medical problems such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, asthma or eating disorders such as anorexia. People suffering from these diseases  may go through puberty at an older age because their illnesses can make it harder for their bodies to grow and develop.

Early puberty can be difficult for a child and family to deal with as the child may be more sexually mature than her classmates or older siblings, causing teasing and resentment.
 
Very young children (under age five) with precocious puberty may gain some benefit from drugs to directly suppress the pituitary gland in the brain, thus giving the child more years to grow in height.

Puberty is not something to be ashamed of - all women have to go through it at some point in their lives so you may as well embrace it. You're not going to ward it off by not wearing a bra or withholding information from your mom.

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A message to the parents of children going through puberty, please, please talk to your children about this stage in their life. This is a confusing and yet exciting time in your child’s development.I remember my mother giving me a booklet and saying ‘There you go, read this" and that was it. Yet when my son came up to me and said he was getting pubic hairs at 13, I was excited for him and we sat and talked about what was happening to his body.
So put your embarrassment aside and talk about it, you child will develop with a healthier attitude and feeling of self worth if you do.