Puberty is a phase that many children look forward to but it can also be a very confusing time. There are a lot of hormones involved and the changes can be a lot to handle. Puberty is when a child’s body begins to develop and change as they grow into an adult. Girls develop breasts and start their periods, and boys develop a deeper voice and start to look like men. However for the focus of this post will be on girls and how girls experience puberty.
The average age for girls to begin puberty is 11,But there’s no set timetable, some girls may start to experience signs of puberty as early as 8 years of age, while some may start much later. So there’s nothing to worry about if your or any girl you know doesn’t reach puberty at the same time as her friends. The process can take a few years, during which many different changes occur, sometimes in no particular order.
1. Body Growth
One of the first signs of puberty in girls is that they start growing faster than they did during childhood. This is known as a growth spurt. The hands and legs may grow longer and they become taller.This may be an awkward time until the rest of the body catches up but once it does, the body will be more proportional. There may also be some weight gain, with development of curves.
2. Breast Development
This is another of the early signs of puberty in girls. This usually begins as the appearance of breast buds or swellings under the nipples. One may appear before the other, and they may feel a little sore. After that, the breasts will gradually get bigger and fuller and may become a little sore. Some girls may start to wear training bras at this point. Because of the hardness some girls may worry that it might be cancer but this is highly unlikely at such a young age. Also, the age at which breast buds appear does not have any impact on how big a girls breast eventually become. Full breast development may take up to 2-3 years.
3. Body Hair
Another of the stages of puberty in girls is new hair growing in new places. Hair will start growing in the pubic area (the area that extends from your lower stomach to between your legs). In some girls, pubic hair may appear before breast development. At first, this hair is soft, and there’s not much of it. Later, the hair grows longer and becomes a little curly. Although it starts growing between the legs, it eventually covers the entire pubic area and may include the upper, inner thighs. This usually takes 2-3 years. Hair also starts to grow in the armpits.
4. Body Sweat
The sweat glands become larger and more active, causing more sweat This may be one of the earliest signs of puberty in girls, even before breast development. This is one symptom that most girls do not expect and are usually surprised when they start to have body odor. Good hygiene and use of an antiperspirant/deodorant helps to reduce sweating and keep bad odors away.
5. Skin changes (e.g acne)
During puberty, the pores in your skin produce more oil, especially on your face. This can cause acne. Washing the face and hair more often can help to reduce the collection of oil on the face and hopefully reduce the chances of developing acne.
6. Development of genitals
Another of the puberty stages is that the genitals, or private areas, also grow and change during puberty. The outside parts (the vulva) are enclosed by two sets of ‘lips’. The larger lips have hair. The inner, smaller lips don’t. These increase in size a little bit. Inside the body, the vagina is getting longer and the uterus is getting bigger.
7. Vaginal discharge
The body produces a clear or slightly cloudy fluid to moisten and cleanse the vagina.
Girls may start to notice some stains in their underwear and they may think this is embarrassing but as long as there is no foul odor, this is totally normal.This is natural moisture from the vagina. It’s perfectly normal and is one of the stages of puberty in girls, a sign that menstruation will likely start in six to 18 months.However, if there’s any change in the vaginal discharge, if it becomes white, clumpy, thick or milky, this may be a sign of an infection and should be reported to a doctor.
8. The Big P. Period.
The most important of the stages of puberty in girls is the start of your the first period. Many people consider this the ultimate sign of puberty. Many girls look forward to experiencing their first period but it can still be a alarming. Seeing blood coming out of your body unexpectedly can be frightening. Also, the first period may not always show up as bright red blood. Some girls just have brownish spotting in their underwear and can’t be sure if it’s a period or not.
When menstruation first starts, it can be unpredictable for the first two years. There can be long gaps between periods, after celebrating the first period, there may not be another one for weeks and even months in some cases.
We all develop at different paces and puberty is no exception. These signs of puberty in girls usually happen in the order listed above, but even when they do not happen in this order, it doesn’t mean that there’s a problem or anything to be worried about.
Regardless of the order these changes happen, the important thing is that growth is happening.
