Human bodies never stop changing. When we’re babies, we grow and change quickly. Even in our thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond, the human body is always shifting. Our skin gets wrinkles, and our hormones change. Even the places where fat is on our bodies shifts around!
During puberty, body changes are intense. Most people start puberty somewhere between the ages of eight and fourteen and finish in their early twenties. Puberty happens naturally when the brain releases the gonadotropin-releasing hormone into the bloodstream. That one hormone kicks off a whole bunch of changes.
Hormones affect everyone in different ways, so the way your friends’ bodies change during puberty won’t be exactly the way yours changes. Here are the major changes that happen during puberty:
Getting taller. During puberty, you’ll go through a series of growth spurts and eventually reach your full adult height. Height is determined by genetics, so you can’t make yourself taller or shorter.
Body hair. Whatever your gender, you’ll see hair grow on your armpits, legs, face, stomach, back, chest, and pubic region. Your hairiness depends on your hormones and your genetics. What you do about the hair is up to you. Wherever it’s growing, it’s totally fine to leave it alone. If you decide to shave it off, be careful! Shaving can cause painful ingrown hairs and razor burn, and it’s easy to cut yourself. Use hot water (to open pores), shaving cream, a sharp razor, and lotion afterward to minimize the negative impacts shaving has on skin. Girls and women are under more pressure to remove their body hair. An American woman spends, on average, $10,000 over her lifetime on body hair removal.
Zits. When hormones change, many teens start getting pimples on their face, back, and chest. A bunch of things cause pimples: hormones, dead skin and oil that clog pores, and diets that include a lot of dairy and sugars. For clearer skin, try to reduce stress, eat healthy foods, and wash with a salicylic acid-based soap three to five mornings a week. Avoid picking and popping pimples since that can cause scars.
Smelly armpits. The hormonal changes in your body cause sweating and body odor. Try a couple of deodorant options, and see what works best for you.
Mood swings. The hormones running through your body can make your moods more intense. People going through puberty often experience a lot of emotional ups and downs. If you’re feeling extra irritable, sad, or emotional, find outlets for your feelings. Talk to a friend or trusted adult, or write your thoughts regularly in a journal. Bottling up emotions only makes things worse.
If you have testes, you’ll probably experience the following:
Testicle and penis growth. Typically, the first change in puberty is that the skin of the scrotum becomes thinner and the testicles hang lower. The penis also begins to get bigger. Penises come in all sizes. A bigger penis is not better than a smaller penis.
Upper-body muscle growth. Chest muscles (pectorals) and shoulder muscles (deltoids) start to flesh out. If you do decide to lift weights or do other exercises to tone your growing muscles, be careful to take it slow to avoid injury.
Voice deepening. Everyone has vocal cords, the two muscles that stretch kind of like rubber bands across the larynx, a hollow organ in the throat. The sound of your voice is made by the vibration of the vocal cords. During puberty, the larynx gets bigger and the vocal cords lengthen and thicken, so your voice gets deeper. Your voice might crack occasionally, but that phase doesn’t last for long.
Tender nipples. You might notice swelling and tenderness underneath your breasts. Hormones cause this. This swelling is normal and almost always gone by the age of twenty.
If you have ovaries, you’ll probably experience the following:
Curves. You’ll notice your body changing shape. Your hips and butt will get curvier, and your body will likely flesh out overall. This is healthy. It’s unhealthy to diet while your body is going through puberty. Being undernourished can cause serious problems such as weak bones for the rest of your life. Embrace the curves!
Breast growth. Your breasts will grow—sometimes a little, sometimes a lot! Breasts of all sizes are wonderful. No exercises or magic supplements will make your breasts bigger or smaller.
Menstruation. When you notice red or brown stains in your underwear, you’ve started menstruating. People with ovaries typically get their period two years after their breasts start to grow.
Period, shark week, that time of the month. The hormonal cycle that creates menstruation impacts the body not just for one week out of every month but all the time. (The word menstruation comes from menses, the plural of mensis, which means “month” in Latin.) For people with ovaries, the brain releases hormones that impact emotions, fertility, sexual desire, and other aspects of physical health. The impact of those hormones changes during about twenty-eight days, and the cycle repeats over and over for decades.
Cycles usually take years to become regular. Usually, when people first get their period, they might miss their period every once in a while or the time between periods may vary. Lots of things—stress, diet, exercise, and anything else that can throw hormones out of whack—affects how much you bleed, how long you bleed, and even if you bleed.
Not everyone with a uterus gets a period. About 3 percent of people with ovaries don’t start getting a period when they go through puberty. That’s called amenorrhea. If someone starts having a period and then it stops for six months or longer, that’s called secondary amenorrhea. Extreme exercising, disordered eating, endocrine problems, or chronic illnesses such as diabetes, Crohn’s disease, or ovarian cysts can cause amenorrhea. See your doctor if you experience any of these conditions.
When they are adults, some transgender and nonbinary people take the hormone testosterone or have a hysterectomy surgery to remove the uterus. These steps end the menstrual cycle permanently. For everyone with a uterus, the menstrual cycle eventually ends with age. Typically, between the ages of forty-eight to fifty-five, people go through menopause. The ovaries start producing less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and the menstrual cycle ceases.
The menstrual cycle follows a pattern. At the beginning of the cycle, the pituitary gland in the brain releases hormones that cause an egg in the ovaries to mature and release. The egg moves through the fallopian tubes to the uterus. As the egg is maturing and making its way down the fallopian tubes, the uterus prepares for its arrival. This part of the cycle is ovulation. The uterus builds up its interior lining—the endometrium—to give the egg a cozy, nourishing place to land. If sperm fertilizes the egg, the egg will attach to the uterine lining and start to grow. This is the very beginning of pregnancy.
If sperm is not around to fertilize the egg, it remains unfertilized. Then the uterus sheds its extra-thick lining. That lining flows out of the uterus through the cervix (at the top of the vaginal canal) and then through the vagina and out of the body. The flow lasts two to seven days. Getting your period is a sure sign you are not pregnant. Periods start in puberty about two to three years after the breasts start growing. The average age for starting a period is twelve or thirteen. People feel all sorts of ways about getting their period. Some people are excited to be getting older. Other people are scared, confused, and surprised. There’s no right way to react.
Menstrual flow is often described as blood because it’s a reddish-brown fluid. But it’s actually only about 35 percent blood. The rest of the fluid is uterine lining, which often has little clumps of cells and blobs of mucus in it.
The amount of fluid that comes out of the body during a period varies for everyone and often fluctuates every month. While it might seem like a lot of fluid, periods usually have less fluid than 1/2 cup (118 mL) of water. An average light flow would be just 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of fluid over the course of the week. A heavy flow is about 6 tablespoons (90 mL). Some people have periods that are really light, never getting much fluid and just spotting of red and brown discharge. Other people have extremely heavy periods, soaking more than one pad or tampon an hour. Both of these conditions can be an indication of something unhealthy going on in your body, so talk with a doctor about this.
You’re watching a corny movie on TV, but you can’t stop yourself from tearing up. And your lower belly hurts. When your dad asks what’s wrong, you snap at him.
Moodiness, cramps, and crying spells are all symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, better known as PMS. In the days before each period, at least 75 percent of menstruators experience PMS. The menstrual cycle causes fluctuations in brain chemistry and hormones that create a range of symptoms such as cramps, mood swings, feeling sensitive or depressed, and breast sensitivity. Other symptoms include headaches, acne flare-ups, constipation, fatigue, joint pain, bloating, and joint pain.
Some people have cramps that are so painful, they’re debilitating. Periods should not leave you regularly bedridden. If it’s hard to go about your regular life when you have your period—the pain is so bad that it’s tough to get out of bed, go to school, focus in class, and play sports—see your doctor. Two common conditions that cause terrible menstrual cramps are cysts and endometriosis. Endometriosis is a painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus—the endometrium—grows outside your uterus. Ovarian or uterine cysts are growths that can cause pelvic pain and pain while peeing or pooping. Both can be treated, so talk to a doctor.
Hormonal birth control methods such as the Pill, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and vaginal rings often help ease the symptoms of PMS. They reduce cramps, prevent menstrual-related migraine headaches, help control endometriosis and uterine cysts, and improve acne. Actually, 33 percent of teens get a prescription from their doctor to take the Pill to manage their period and its side effects.
You’re in charge of your body. Keep track of what’s going on with your hormonal changes and your genitalia. Get to know what’s normal for you so you can be the best expert about how to take care of and advocate for you.
I feel as if I missed something. I’m thirteen and I haven’t gotten my period or had my breasts get bigger or gotten much taller at all. All my friends talk about having to shave their armpits and buy tampons, and I nod along as if I know what they’re talking about. Is there something wrong with me?
If you haven’t started puberty by the time you’re thirteen or fourteen, you might be among the 3 percent of Americans who experience delayed puberty. About 90 percent of the time when puberty is delayed, doctors will take a “wait and watch” approach, and puberty will eventually start up naturally.
Delayed puberty can be caused by chronic illnesses such as diabetes or celiac disease. Bodies also naturally delay puberty if they don’t have enough body fat, which is often seen in people who are anorexic. Check with a doctor if you think your puberty is delayed. They can do a blood test to see if something is causing the delay or if you’re just naturally developing a bit later.
I’m in seventh grade, and I think I must be the only girl in school who doesn’t shave her legs. Some kids call me “mountain woman” and a lesbian. I know I could shave, but it just seems, like, not right to me. I’ve tried it before, and it doesn’t feel good. Do all girls shave their legs? If I don’t, does it mean I’m a lesbian?
Nope and nope. Women of all sexual orientations decide to remove their leg hair, armpit hair, pubic hair, and facial hair . . . or not! People who call you names or make assumptions about your sexual identity because you don’t shave your legs are being ignorant and unkind. The only reason to shave your legs is if you think it looks good and feels good. No one has the right to shame and harass you into making you treat your body in a way you don’t want to. Do what feels right to you.