Hormones & Girls
What's a Hormone?
The onset of puberty occurs anywhere between the ages of 9 - 16. At a signal from the hypothalamus (a region in the brain) and the pituitary gland, the body begins to produce hormones which are chemicals in your body that cause puberty to begin. Hormones help turn your child body into an adult body.
Puberty and girls
The hormones responsible for all these changes in girls are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone make a girl:
- Breasts begin to grow and develop. One breast may grow larger than the other. This is normal.
- Hair and skin may become oilier.
- Body odor begins to be produced by the sweat glands. Time to start using deodorant and shower or bathe daily.
- Vagina may have a clear or white discharge. This is perfectly normal and is how the vagina cleans itself.
- Hair begins to appear in the pubic area, under the arms and on the legs. Some girls begin to shave their underarms and legs, while others do not. The choice to shave or not is an individual decision each girl must make.
- Menstrual cycle begins. When a woman menstruates, or has a period, bloody fluid leaves her body through the vagina. Most women have a period about once a month. A period usually lasts between 3 and 7 days. Sometimes they are longer; some times they are shorter. It may seem like a lot of blood is leaving your body, but it is usually only about 4 to 8 tablespoons.
- PMS Premenstrual Syndrome is the term used to describe a lot of different symptoms that women may experience in the days leading up to their periods. Symptoms my include: cramps, bloating, moodiness, depression, tiredness, lack of energy, headache, acne, breast tenderness, and backache. Not all women experience these symptoms, so if you do, or do not you are still perfectly normal.
- Toxic Shock Syndrome is a rare and sometimes fatal bacterial infection that is usually associated with super absorbent tampons that are not changed often enough. If you choose to use tampons, make sure to change them at least every 4 hours.
- Egg production begins and your body is now capable of becoming pregnant. Should one of the male's sperm come in contact with a female's egg a pregnancy can occur.
Still Have Questions?
Visit our website created especially for teens - TEENWIRE.COM
Parents - there's even a special section just for you.
More teen information from Planned Parenthood
Check out our web resources
Download our Service Brochure
To make an appointment for health services, please contact one of our local health centers directly or call 1-800-230-PLAN to be connected to the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.
|
