Puberty For Girls

Puberty is when your body grows and develops to become an adult.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING PUBERTY

Puberty is a series of changes that your body goes through as you grow.

Your body starts to produce hormones which will change your body and can also affect your emotions. Getting used to all the changes can sometimes be stressful.

For girls, puberty usually happens between the ages of 8 and 14. Some girls can start puberty earlier and some later. Everyone is different.

For some girls going through puberty can take a couple of years. For other girls it will take longer and be more like 4 years.

This is normal and doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PUBERTY

You'll go through lots of changes during puberty - some obvious to other people and some obvious only to you. The changes might feel strange but puberty is a natural part of growing up.

CHANGES TO YOUR BREASTS

Breasts come in all shapes and sizes and they’re all normal.

Facts about breasts:

• Having one breast which is bigger than the other is normal.

• It's normal for breasts to feel sore or tender sometimes. This usually happens just before or during your period.

• Breasts can feel heavier or softer before a period.

• Nipples come in different shapes and sizes. They can be outwards or inwards. The area around the nipple is called the areola and it's normal for it to be a few shades darker than your breast. Sometimes nipples have bumps, pimples or hairs.

You can start wearing a bra whenever you want to. When you feel that you would be more comfortable wearing one, then it's the right time for you. It's important to get fitted for a bra in a department store or specialist bra shop so that you make sure you are wearing the right size and a sports bra can give more support when you’re exercising.

WHEN TO VISIT YOUR DOCTOR:

• if you often feel sharp pains or an ache in your breast

• if you notice a lump on your breast or anything that doesn't seem usual.

You can ask to see a female doctor or nurse and ask to have a family member or friend come to the appointment with you

You'll grow body hair and pubic hair

When you go through puberty you'll start to grow hair under your arms, on your private parts (pubic hair), on your legs and sometimes on other parts of your body. Most people grow pubic and body hair, some people grow more hair than others.

It’s up to you whether to remove your pubic or body hair

You might sweat more

As you go through puberty you might find that you sweat more. This is because your sweat glands change and produce more sweat to help control your body's temperature.

Keeping the areas that you sweat, like your armpits, clean and dry will help to stop any smell developing. It's important to wash, bath or shower once or twice a day, wear clean clothes and you can also wear deodorant or antiperspirant.

You might have lots of questions like what exactly are periods, how often they happen, what they look like and what to use when you have them.

Click the image below