There are some changes during puberty that are just for boys and others that are just for girls. But most of the things that happen in puberty happen to EVERYONE!

These changes normally take more than two years and happen between the ages of 8 and 15 years.

BUT REMEMBER EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT AND WILL GO THROUGH CHANGES AT DIFFERENT TIMES

Puberty is all down to hormones, but what are hormones?

Hormones are responsible for the changes that happen during puberty. When your body is ready to begin puberty, your pituitary gland, a pea-shaped gland located at the bottom of your brain releases special hormones. These are special chemicals that your body makes to help it do certain things – like going through puberty. The hormone that starts puberty is called gonadotropin-releasing hormone. When it reaches the pituitary gland (that pea-shaped gland that sits just under the brain), this gland releases two more puberty hormones: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Both boys and girls have both these hormones, but they do different jobs for boys and girls.

For boys, the hormones travel through the blood and tell the testes the two egg-shaped glands in the scrotum (the sac that hangs under the penis), to begin making testosterone and sperm. Testosterone is the hormone that causes most of the changes in a boy’s body during puberty. This is an important change as men need sperm to be able to have a baby if they decide to. 

In girls, FSH and LH, (very long named hormones!) target the ovaries, which contain eggs that have been there since birth. This starts the ovaries producing another hormone called Oestrogen. Oestrogen, along with FSH and LH, causes a girl’s body to change into an adult. This is when a girl will start her periods:

• Periods

Hormones are also responsible for all those new body smells! The puberty hormones stimulate the glands in your skin, including the sweat glands under your arms. This is why it’s so important to start taking responsibility for your hygiene:

• Responsibilities

KEEPING HEALTHY DURING PUBERTY

• Remember that puberty is not just a physical change but also an emotional change
• Make sure that you get enough sleep so that your body is able to grow and change
• It’s important that you eat a healthy diet so that your body has enough energy to change 

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Try our Duck Game!

Hover over a duck to reveal a change. You then need to place your duck in the girls changes, boys changes or everybody’s changes areas of the pond!

If any of your ducks are causing you worry don’t visit any old quack come see your school nurse – text us via CHAT HEALTH.