Puberty - Signs for Girls 
Between ages 10 to 14, young people’s bodies change as they transition from childhood to adulthood. This doesn’t happen overnight and is a process of maturing that can take several years. Although there are some common changes, everyone matures differently in their own time. For example, some boys start growing facial hair in junior high school while others do not have to shave until well past graduation from high school. Don’t worry if your body is maturing faster or slower than your friends or siblings. Puberty only happens once so enjoy the ride.
Menstruation or Your Period
Getting your period is a sure sign of entering adulthood. Some girls start as early as 9 years old and others wait until 16.
1 This is a fairly big deal to girls because it signals that they are able to get pregnant (whether they are ready to or not). To learn more about menstruation click
here.
Breast Development
If you are a girl, you will begin to develop breasts during puberty. Breasts come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many women’s breasts are sensitive and they enjoy having them touched during sexual activity.
Unfortunately, women’s breasts are hyped up in North American culture and used to advertise and sell products, including women themselves. Remember that breasts are part of a woman and not separate from her; they are not more important than who she is, what she thinks and how she feels as a human being.
Hair
During puberty you will start to notice hair growing in all sorts of places it didn’t use to. For a girl, it is normal to start growing hair on her vulva, in her armpits, on her legs and arms, around her nipples, and lightly on her face. In North America, many women shave the extra hair that comes with puberty; however, in other parts of the world they don’t. The choice is yours.
Acne
Many teenagers going through puberty get acne (pimples, whiteheads and blackheads). This is normal and is caused by hormonal changes that make your skin secrete more oils than usual. Girls are more likely to break-out before and during menstruation. If your parents had acne, you are more likely to get it. Don’t worry – it won’t last forever.
To help control acne, wash your skin regularly and gently with soap and water. Don’t scrub too hard or it will irritate your skin even more. There are plenty of treatments you can buy in drugstores that may or may not help. If your acne is severe, consult your doctor.
Read more about acne:
Acne Treatments – Health Canada Website
Emotions
One minute you feel calm and the next minute, you are crying. Sound familiar? Blame it on hormones. It is normal for teenagers to feel like they are on an emotional roller-coaster during puberty. There are a lot of physical changes to catch up with in addition to more responsibilities, decisions and choices that come with growing up.
Your feelings are valid and important to pay attention to; however, your hormones often make your feelings feel stronger and more intense than usual. If you are experiencing mood swings, it helps to just know this and to realize that things will calm down eventually. Make sure you have good support and talk to your friends or family about how you feel. Sometimes just telling someone how you feel inside helps you to feel better.
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