Puberty – Puberty is an important period in the journey from infancy to maturity. It generally begins while a person is in their early teens. It causes mental, physical, psychological, and emotional changes, and everyone’s experience is unique.
It may be a difficult and confusing period. Knowing what to expect and why these changes occur might let a person feel more in control while going through them. The following article provides an overview of puberty, explaining what changes to expect, when they occur, and why.
Table of Contents
What is puberty?
It is a phase of life in which steroidal sex hormonal synthesis by which body changes occur because of that an individual becomes sexually mature so that they can reproduce their young ones. It happens in both males and females.
Some hormones play a crucial role in our body during puberty and their functionality starts at the onset of puberty:
- Testosterone: Testosterone is a male hormone, that helps in the growth of sperm as well as male secondary sexual characteristics.
- Estrogen: A female hormone, that helps in folliculogenesis (follicle formation) within the ovary as well as female secondary sexual characteristics.
- Progesterone: The main work of progesterone is uterus preparation for implantation and maintaining pregnancy after egg fertilization with sperm.
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Why does it occur?
It occurs during early adolescence for the onset of sexual maturation of an individual to produce offspring. A question arises why it is required and who needs it? Reproduction is essential but not important for survival but each and every organism goes through puberty like cats, dogs, cows, etc. do not produce offspring just after birth. They also need to attain sexual maturity at their age and their maturity timing differs from human beings.
In humans, boys attain puberty minimum at 9 years old, and for girls, it can be a minimum at 8 years old.
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Stages of Puberty
There are many developmental stages of an individual’s life such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
In experiencing life, According to the population pyramid, population pyra we can feature the following phases of life:
- Pre-reproductive phase: It is a phase of life before adolescence in which an infant grows to the childhood phase.
- Reproductive phase: It is a phase in which a person is well-fitted to reproduce. As per sexual maturation, Adolescence is a part of the reproductive phase at puberty.
- Post-reproductive phase: In this phase, a person experiences the changes after the reproductive phase.
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Changes in the body during puberty
Changes in the human body during puberty are one of the main events of life because they help to make us sexually mature. There is a major event in life that involves both boys and girls.
In girls,
There are the following bodily changes below that can be seen in girls physically during puberty:
- Breast outgrowth: Breast enlargement with fat deposition in the chest area.
- Fat deposition: It occurs in the hip, thigh, and pelvic region. It is essential for maintaining regular ovulation and periods.
- Menarche: It is the first period occurrence or the first time the menstrual cycle begins. Initially, menstruation or periods are irregular for the first few years of beginning but with time it tends to become regular.
- Pubic hairs: Some extra hairs outgrow around the groin region. It protects the skin from irritation, keeping the area warm, and reduces skin-on-skin friction.
There are the following major changes that can be seen in boys physically during puberty:
- Facial hairs: The thick hair growth on the face, as well as a mustache and beard.
- Voice change: The boys’ voices get thicker and deeper due to the increase of Adam’s apple in the neck region.
- Pubic hairs: It is the hairs grown in the groin and scrotum region. It protects from skin-on-skin friction and keeps the area warm.
- Wet dreams: It is unintentional ejaculation of semen that occurs while sleeping.
Broad and thick hairs also appear in the chest and armpit or underarm area. The size of the penis also enlarges during this phase.
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Other changes in teenagers
The following changes you can also notice.
- Friends: The increase of attachment with peers and friends and detachment with parents and family.
- Hormonal changes: As mentioned above several hormones like testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, etc become functional in the adolescent age. So, mood swings as well as high temperament are normal during this phase.
- Emotional changes: Due to major changes in the body, consciousness towards the body changes increases, which may lead to the self-hatred towards themselves
- Peer pressure: Each and every individual is different from each other. So, there is a high chance in the variable of puberty ages. Whoever experiences puberty earlier than their peers, may lead to body shaming or bullying by others.
- Love experience: During this period, one is sexually mature, so it is common to attract opposite partners.
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How to manage puberty?
A lot of sudden changes occur in the body so how we can manage them:
- Take a balanced diet that includes whole fibers, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
- Always stay hydrated by drinking water about 2-3 liters of water
- During puberty, curiosity increases toward substance use and abuse like alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, etc. So, one should know what is right or what is wrong with one’s health.
- Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed because it happens with every human being. If it does not happen, it is a major concern.
- Parents should guide them about It before they experience it.
- Exercise and meditate regularly that can help the mind calm and stress-free.
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Concerns related puberty
Many times, physiological concerns related to puberty arise:
- Precocious puberty: When it comes earlier than usual. The normal age is 8-14 but if it comes before 8 in girls and before 9 in boys, then it should be diagnosed by the doctor. As per the survey report, It is seen 10 times more often in girls than boys. Its cause is due to increased secretion of adrenal androgen precursors, McCune-Albright syndrome, and testotoxicosis.
- Delayed puberty: In delayed puberty, It comes later than usual. If it comes after 14 years in both boys and girls. The reason for this can be hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (deficiency of LH, FSH, or GnRH hormones), hypopituitarism, genetic dysfunction, and hypothalamic dysfunction due to uncertain reasons.
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Conclusion
It is not an issue to be a concern but it is a common occurrence to everyone’s lifetime experience. It is a period in which one is diverted or averted from the right path and chooses the wrong path such as substance abuse, addiction, etc.
So, we should not be attracted to those substances and understand the well-being of one’s life. Self-consciousness towards our mind is a necessary component. If anyone feels wrong about something, just talk to any elder with whom they are comfortable.
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Some Additional Doubt
Question: What is the difference between adolescence and puberty?
Answer: Adolescence is a teenage group individual in which significant development happens while puberty is a transition of body. Adolescence starts at the beginning of puberty.
Question: Do wet dreams cause embarrassment?
Answer: It is pretty normal to go through wet dreams while sleeping. It doesn’t cause any harm to the body.
Question: Are changes in the body physically necessary for life?
Answer: Yes, it is a part of life which happens with every individual. So there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Question: Should we hide about menstruation?
Answer: There is nothing to hide about menstruation. It is good to go through with menstruation every month. It is a sign of a fertile being. While it is absent during pregnancy and lactation phase.
Question: Does absence of periods mean pregnancy?
Answer: No, the absence of periods doesn’t mean pregnancy because in the initial years of puberty, it doesn’t come every month. So, it is irregular. If proper nutrients are not to be taken, the periods may remain irregular.
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References
https://medlineplus.gov/puberty.html
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/puberty
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525269/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/puberty
https://www.myautism.org/informational-kits/the-official-puberty-guide
https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health