When puberty hits - what you need to know (Natural Science Gr6-8)

You are a teenager and strange changes are busy taking place in your body - you do not always know how to feel and you do not know if the changes are normal. 

Do not fear, you are hitting puberty.

What is puberty?  

            

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It is when certain changes takes place in your body that changes it from a child's into an adult's.

It is good to know about puberty before it happens, because that way you will know what to expect and also know that you are not the only one going through it.

Always remember that we are all different from one another, but one thing is the same, everybody goes through puberty.  

Some develop and change at an earlier age and some at a later stage.  A girl's puberty can start between the ages of 8 and 13 and a boy between 9 and 15.  

Do not compare yourself to your friends, you may go through puberty earlier or later than them but eventually we all go through it.

When your body is ready for puberty there is a special gland in your brain called the pituatary glad which secretes (gives off) certain hormones that is going to make your body change in certain ways.

                               

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Changes in a boy's and girl's body

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Your body will also fill out and change during puberty and a boy's voice will crack.  A girl will start wearing a bra around this time especially if she does sport.

Some girls will get uncomfortable with their bodies changing and them gaining weight.  It is not the right thing to diet and try and stop natural weight gain.  The best is if you are unsure about the changes to talk to a doctor or adult.

Girls will also start wondering when they will have their first period,  This usually happens two years after their breasts have developed.  

Menstruation is a monthly cycle that takes place in a girl's body when she is not pregnant and blood is released through the vagina.  This sounds very scary but this is normal to happen to a girl that will one day become a women and want to have children.

        

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Every month the ovaries of a girl will release an egg cell which is transported through the fallopian tubes to the uterus.  If the egg cell is not fertilized, it will move out of the body and the uterus will no longer need the extra blood and the lining that became thicker and this is why menstruation has to take place.

A period or menstruation can last from 2 to 7 days and then two weeks later a new egg cell is released and the body starts to prepare itself again for pregnancy.  If pregnancy does not takes place, the cycle starts again.  Girls will have their menstruation more or less every 28 days.

Boys will start getting erections (when the penis fills with blood and gets hard) and this can happen because the boy is thinking of sexual content or for no reason at all.    A boy will also start ejaculating -the semen and the sperm comes out of the penis.

What is wrong with my face?

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Another thing that can happen during puberty is the outbreak of pimples.  Your face will become olier and pimples will start coming out.

To help control acne or pimples you have to wash your face twice a day with a special cleanser or facewash and do not pick or scratch the pimples because you will just make it worse and can also spread it.

If your acne is very bad, you can visit the doctor and he can give you something to dry it up.

All these changes can be very weird

It can be upsetting to go through all of these changes and you will feel that your moods will also change and you do not always have control over it.

Some kids will loose their tempers and get cross with their family and friends.  Some will also feel very anxious about the changes taking place in their bodies.

Sometimes it can be difficult to deal with all these changes but you must try and remember that people are not out to hurt your feelings and what is happening to you is normal.

If you do not feel comfortable talking to your parents about all these changes and sex, you can speak to any other adults like a doctor or nurse or teacher.

Children do not develop at the same rate and the tallest girl in class will not always be the tallest and the boys will not all start shaving at the same time.

Eventually everybody will catch up to one another.  Until then, try and stay calm about all the changes that are happening and remember that puberty can be quite upsetting but it is something that is going to happen to you, whether you like it or not.

Some extra information for girls on puberty

Some extra information for boys on puberty

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