What Is The Definition Of Puberty? What Makes Puberty Happen?
What Is The Definition Of Puberty?
Even if you don’t want it to, puberty is unavoidable, but it progresses gradually.
It might signify many things, but puberty is when a child’s body changes from a young to an adult. It’s finally time they’ll be able to grow physiologically. The changes to a person’s body do not end with puberty; they continue throughout a person’s lifetime. Fortunately, puberty isn’t an overnight phenomenon. Your child’s physique will undergo significant changes from two to five and even up to ten years. They will have some time to adjust to the changes that will gradually occur. This is a positive thing. There is more to puberty than just physical changes. Their relationships with their family, friends, and peers will change. Similarly, their feelings and perhaps their personality will change as well.
What does this all mean?
Puberty signals that your child is about to become fertile and capable of bearing children of their own. And that you could become a grandparent! But does this mean that they are ready to become a parent? Most likely not. There is no guarantee that a person is ready to become a parent just because their body can reproduce.
When Will I reach puberty?
The beginning of puberty varies from person to person. It can be sooner or later for some children. Everyone is unique in their way.
Puberty can begin at any point between the ages of eight and fifteen for those with a vagina. Puberty typically begins a year later for children with a penis between nine and 15.
Hormones that start the changes in your child’s body will be released when their body is the proper size and shape for them. Puberty is a natural process, and it can’t be rushed or postponed. Some children may find this difficult, especially if they’re the first or the last to show changes. Because they will regard themselves as being different from their peers, they will question whether or not they are truly normal.
They may be teased about having breasts, being smelly, or acquiring weight if they are early bloomers, and you should be prepared for that. They’ll be baffled as to what’s wrong with their bodies, as they’re the only ones experiencing this. This can cause them to question themselves and wonder what is wrong with them if they are late bloomers. Remember to instil the idea in your child of the body’s readiness for puberty and that every person experiences it in their own unique way.
When to worry
You may be surprised to discover that some children begin puberty earlier or later than you expected. Precocious puberty is a term for onset puberty at an early age.
It is more common for children born with a vagina to experience precocious puberty than those with a penis.
Precocious puberty is the development of breasts or the start of periods before nine in children born with a vagina. You should seek medical attention if this happens to your child.
It is important to seek medical advice if your child does not begin to show any physical signs of puberty between the ages of 15 and 16 or if they do not begin menstruation between 16 and 17. If you’re not on track with your growth cycle, it’s most likely due to a hormone imbalance, being underweight, or being stressed out. Occasionally, developmental or chromosomal abnormalities might be discovered in children.
Precocious puberty occurs in children born with a penis when they show signs of:
Development of the penis and the testicles
Development of pubic or facial hair
The rapid increase in height is sometimes known as a “growth spurt.”
Deepening of the voice
Acne
Adult body odour
If your child experiences any of these symptoms before the age of nine, you should take them to the doctor right away. As a parent, you should seek medical counsel if your child does not show any outward signs of puberty by the time they are 14. Puberty may be delayed in most children with a penis because it was delayed in one or both parents. Being underweight or under a lot of stress can also cause it to be delayed. Occasionally, developmental or chromosomal abnormalities might be identified in children.
What Makes Puberty Happen?
Your child’s body changes during puberty because of hormones. Hormones are chemicals that all our bodies make. In our bloodstream, they move from where they are made to the place where they perform their duties. Their job is to start something working. During puberty, some hormones are responsible for enabling the body to reproduce.
Let’s look at how puberty manifests itself in the male and female bodies. Some similarities can be found despite the differences.
For children born with a feminine figure, what happens?
The pituitary gland
During puberty, it all starts because of a gland at the base of the brain known as the pituitary gland. When the body is ready, the pituitary gland receives a signal from the brain telling it to begin releasing growth hormones. This hormone encourages the pituitary gland to release follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). These hormones travel through the blood to the ovaries and trigger the release of estrogen and progesterone.
The pituitary gland tells the ovaries to begin producing estrogen and progesterone.
The pituitary is the master gland, dictating the actions of every other gland. As a result, other glands in your body begin to produce the necessary hormones for your child to become an adult. Different bodily systems communicate with each other through chemical signals known as hormones. Think of it as a telephone line, there are wire cables connecting everyone’s phones, and we can send messages (talk) through the telephone lines. The pituitary gland tells the ovaries to begin releasing progesterone and estrogen by sending them a message. This causes the egg (ovum) to be released from the ovary.
Estrogen and Progesterone
These vital hormones have different jobs to do. Estrogen is in charge of breast growth, the changes in body shape like the hips, legs, breasts, and reproductive organ development. For menstruation or pregnancy, progesterone and estrogen work in tandem.
Ovulation
Since they were a fetus, your child’s eggs have been in their ovaries growing inside a uterus. Estrogen tells the eggs to mature by becoming fertilized. It also tells the ovaries to prepare an egg (ovum) for release into the fallopian tubes. The egg will travel along the fallopian tubes and into the uterus. Ovulation refers to the process by which an egg matures to the point at which it can be released from the ovary. Ovulation occurs when the eggs stored in the ovaries mature, with one being released approximately every four weeks or so, plus or minus a few days.
Menstruation
The uterine lining starts to thicken as the egg ripens and prepares to come out, just if a sperm joins with the egg, resulting in pregnancy. If a sperm and an egg are joined, the body prepares for pregnancy. The uterine lining will dissolve if the egg is not joined with sperm. Periods, menstruation, and menstrual blood are used to describe the dissolve lining that comes out from the vagina. A new egg is released two weeks after the period, and the ovulation process begins again.