Puberty in the teenager is the stage of life when they are changing from children into adults, the teens will be totally aware that something is happening within themselves and their bodies.

The start of puberty is usually in the age range of between 7 – 13 years for a girl and 9 – 15 years for a boy.

Changes Caused by Puberty in a Girl.

n  The development of breasts, and pubic hair.

n  The first menstruation (period) will occur.

n  The young lady will notice the development of wider hips and the general curving of her body shape.

Changes Caused by Puberty in a Boy.

n  The development of pubic and facial hair.

n  His testicles and penis will grow larger.

n  The shoulders of the boy will widen and his body shape will become more muscular.

These are primarily sexual changes and both the boy and girl will now be able to mate and produce offspring, as result of the action of the male sex hormone Testosterone, and the female sex hormone estrogen, obviously during puberty also there will accompanying mental changes and adjustments being part of the natural maturing process.

Sometimes however, youngsters can pass through these age ranges without showing any signs of bodily change, the is known as Delayed Puberty

Delayed puberty may be as simple as having parents or close relatives who were late developers, this is referred to as constitutional delay and is nothing to worry about, the teen will go through the normal stage of puberty, but just a little later than his/her teen peers.

Some Causes of Delayed Puberty in Teens.

n  Malnourishment, teens who have eating disorders like anorexia lose body fat, and the body changes need a certain amount of fat to act upon, this applies equally to young girls who are very active in sports, and lose much weight, and hence body fat. A well balanced diet is essential for the changing teen body.

n  Teenagers who are suffering from illness like cystic fibrosis, diabetes or asthma may not experience puberty until a later age, since the illness makes it harder for the body to grow and develop

n  Problems associated with disorders of the teens Chromosomes are often a main factor causing delayed puberty.

n  Turners Syndrome, where in the female, one of her sex determining X chromosomes is deficient or absent, thus interfering with the development of the girl’s ovaries and sex hormone production.

n  Kilnefelter Syndrome in the teen boy results in an extra X chromosome which results in slowing down male sexual development.

For cases of both female and male delayed puberty, there is much medical help available which will assist the teen to develop more normally without any problems. A doctor should be consulted if there are any worries concerning teen development.

Tags: , ,