Puberty for girls

What happens when girls start puberty

Puberty is a series of changes that your body goes through during your teens. These changes help you develop into a young woman. You start to produce hormones which will change your body and can also affect your emotions.

For girls puberty usually happens between the ages of 10 and 16. 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 is anything wrong with you.

You'll go through lots of changes during puberty - some obvious to other people and some obvious only to you. You may find the changes strange and start to think negatively about yourself. But puberty is a natural part of growing up and you shouldn't feel less confident than you did before.

5 things you'll experience:

you'll start having periods
sexual thoughts and feelings
you might get spots
the hair on your legs might get darker and some girls grow hair on their upper lip too
you might start feeling odd and moody - this is because your hormones are developing.

What to expect during puberty

You'll go through lots of changes during puberty. Some changes are obvious to other people, like growing taller, and some only you will know about.

Your breasts and hips start to grow and your body will have more curves

Bodies grow at different rates during puberty so try not to compare yourself with anyone else. The size and shape of your breasts will keep changing throughout your life. Lots of things can affect their size and shape like losing or gaining weight, pregnancy and breastfeeding. See our message boards for more breast related worries.

We're all different and have different body types so our breasts will look different too. There's no specific size or shape that breasts should be but we often wish our breasts were different.

It can be hard not to compare yourself to other people. It can also be difficult to always see women online and in movies or magazines with "perfect" looking breasts.

The important thing to remember is that some of the women have had breast enlargements or plastic surgery. Most of these images are also airbrushed and changed to look a certain way. In real life, we are all unique. Find out how to feel better about how you look.

You'll grow hair under your arms and between your legs

When you go through puberty you will start to grow hair under your arms, on your private parts (pubic hair), on your legs and sometimes on other parts of your body.

It's your body and it's your decision to choose whether or not you want to remove your pubic hair or body hair. Everyone grows pubic hair, it's a normal part of puberty.

Some people choose to shave, wax or trim their pubic hair. This could be removing a little or all of the hair. Sometimes women trim or remove pubic hair if they go swimming so that the hairs don't show through a swimming costume or bikini. You might see women online or in films with no pubic hair but this is not how everyone looks in real life. It's important to do what feels right for you.

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. It's important to wash often and wear clean clothes so that you don't smell. You can also wear deodorant or antiperspirant if you are worried about smelling.

Your periods will start

During puberty, girls start having periods. It's common to experience premenstrual tension (PMT) in the week or days just before your period. 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. Get advice and information about periods.

Your vagina changes and you'll start to produce discharge

Discharge is a clear, white liquid. It's completely normal and it's how your vagina keeps itself clean. If the discharge is yellow or smells, or if your private parts feel itchy, you should see your doctor. It's important to see a doctor as you might have an infection.

You will usually have thicker or more discharge just before your period. It might stain your underwear so you could wear panty liners if you want to. These can be bought in supermarkets and chemists – you'll find them in the same section as sanitary pads and tampons.

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Check out the puberty on our message boards

Changes to your breasts

Breasts come in all shapes and sizes and they are all normal. They can keep developing until you're 18. It's also common for breasts to change in your adult years.

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 small hairs.

You can start wearing a bra whenever you want to. If 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.

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. Find out more about visiting your doctor.

Masturbation

Masturbation is when you touch your body and your genitals because it feels good or pleasurable. You can make yourself orgasm or 'come' by doing this.

Both girls and boys masturbate and it's completely normal. It's a way of discovering your body, how it makes you feel and what kind of things make you feel good during sex. Some people might say that it's wrong or that you shouldn't masturbate, but it's a normal part of life and not something to be ashamed of.

Knowing when it's OK to masturbate

Some people masturbate a lot and some people hardly do it at all. Everyone's different. It's normal to have urges or want to masturbate often when you're going through puberty. But it's important to make sure this doesn't lead to anything that makes someone else feel uncomfortable. For example, masturbating in public when other people are around is not acceptable.

Think about if you feel uncomfortable with how often you do it. Do you find it hard to concentrate at school or while doing homework because you want to masturbate? Are you less interested in your hobbies? If this is the case, then it may be a problem. You could try masturbating slightly less each week until you are only doing it as much as you feel comfortable with.

Online porn

It's natural to feel curious about porn. We can help answer all of your questions.

Hair removal

If you choose to remove some or all of your body hair, it's important to do it in a safe way. Things you could try include:

shaving with a clean razor and shaving foam or soap
waxing with hot, clean wax - this can be done at a beauty salon or at home using a waxing kit (these can be bought from pharmacies and some supermarkets)
applying hair removal cream and scraping it off with a special spatula - it can be dangerous to use hair removal cream on pubic hair or near your genital area.

Make sure you read the instruction leaflet carefully before using any type of removal cream or home waxing kit.

Whatever you choose to use, it is important to try it on a small section of skin first. This way you'll be able to see if you have an allergic reaction.

Mood journal

Go to your locker to track your mood - it's a great way of seeing how things change for you.