Male Female Symbol

Adolescence and Puberty

Changes begin to happen to our bodies between the ages around 9 – 15 years of age, which cause girls to start to grow into young women and boys to grow into young men. This period of time between childhood and adulthood is called Adolescence. The changes that go in inside our bodies is known as puberty.

What happens during puberty?

Puberty usually takes places over a stretch of time and there are many changes that take place inside our bodies during puberty caused by our hormones. Hormones are chemicals that are produced in different places in our body and have different effects on our body. The brain begins to produce sex hormones during puberty that causes changes within our bodies, preparing for us to be able to make babies. These changes are different depending on whether we are a male or a female.

Females

In females, the sex hormones Oestrogen and Progesterone are produced by the ovaries. Oestrogen makes the eggs in the ovaries release every month. The release of the egg is called ovulation. The egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. It is in the fallopian tube where an egg can unite with a sperm and become the beginning of a baby (conception). The egg then travels and plants itself into the uterus, as the progesterone hormone has created a soft lining to receive it and produced a healthy place for the fertilized egg to grow. The egg will then grow into a baby.

Most of the time however, the egg is not fertilized and will break down while it is in the uterus. As there is no fertilized egg starting to grow in the uterus the soft lining will break down and pass out through the vagina and out of the body in the form of blood. This is called menstruation and happens on a monthly basis unless an egg has been fertilized. Menstruation is also known as ‘having your period’ and will usually last between 3 -5 days. During this time you might have stomach cramps, but should be able to continue doing your normal day to day activities.

During a period you will need to wear a sanitary towel or a tampon to absorb the menstrual flow. A sanitary towel fits inside a pair of knickers with a small piece of adhesive tape that holds it in place. Tampons fit inside the vagina, but cannot pass into the uterus. It might be useful to talk to a female friend or relative about starting your period. Also you might want to carry a towel or tampon around with you in case you start your periods at school.

Males

Puberty in males starts with the testicles producing the sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone instructs the testicles to begin to make sperm – the male sex cells. The scrotum protects the testicles by keeping them at exactly the right temperature to make sperm. About one hundred million to three million sperm per day are produced when a boy reaches puberty.

Sperm leaves the males body when they ejaculate semen. Semen is a mixture of sperm and fluid and is sticky, cloudy and whitish. Ejaculation is a sudden release of sperm through the urethra and leaving the males body at the tip of the penis, causing a feeling of excitement known as an orgasm. During a male erection, the muscles that allow blood to flow in and out of his penis opens wide and allows more blood to be pumped in, whilst there are other muscles that tighten up and stops the extra blood from leaving the penis. This causes the penis to become stiff and erect. When the erection is over the muscles relax and allow the blood to flow back out of the penis and into the body and the penis becomes soft again.

Lots of things can cause a male to have an erection; a film that excites him, when he has pleasurable thoughts or sees someone who makes him feel nervous, sexy, excited or happy, if someone touches or rubs his penis or if he has a pleasurable dream about someone. Males usually have erections before and during sexual intercourse. An erection makes it possible for the penis to enter the woman’s vagina. However erections can occur for no apparent reason and do not always result in ejaculation. It is also possible for a man to ejaculate without an erection although this does not happen very often. Boys usually start to have wet dreams at puberty, which occur when a boy is asleep and has a pleasurable or sexy dream. When they wake up the bed sheets or his pyjamas may be wet and sticky from the ejaculated semen. This is usual and normal for boys.

Once a male begins to produce sperm it is possible for him to make a baby. If just one egg unites with a female egg during sexual intercourse a female can become pregnant and the united cell grow and develop into a baby.

Where to go to get more help

If you have any queries about sex education the following organisations maybe able to help:

Also your teacher or GP maybe able to help you with any queries you have regarding your body and changes that you will go through during puberty