Adapted from: Puberty: Understanding Your Changin

Body. SexualityandU.ca, 2010

The Changing
Me. . .
Whats Happening?
 Class Guidelines:
Giggling is OK

Respect what others say

Understand others feelings

Discuss puberty topics responsibly outside the classroom

There are no dumb questions

 What is Puberty?
Time of change from child to adult

When the body reaches maturity

Emotional changes occur

Bodies of boys and girls develop and

become fertile
What Does Fertile Mean?

Boys start to make Girls start to make

sperm cells egg cells
These are the cells necessary to make a new human:

Sperm + Egg = Baby

 Sperm

After puberty you make 200,000 - 400,000 sperm cells a

day for the rest of your life

Sperm build up in tubes around the testicles

They travel along some tubes and mix with fluids from
glands
 3 Major Growth Spurts

1. Conception to
Birth 2. Birth to one year 3. Puberty
old
 When do I Start
Puberty?
Boys (Ages 10-15) Girls (Ages 8-14)

Everyone is different
Everyone will start and finish at a
different time
This is normal
 What Makes Puberty
Start?
The pituitary gland sends a signal to the
body in boys and girls to produce the
hormone that starts puberty.
Do Boys and Girls
Produce the Same
Hormone?
In Girls: In Boys:

The pituitary gland The pituitary gland

sends a signal to sends a signal to the
the ovaries to testicles to produce
produce Testosterone.
Estrogen.
How Does my Body
Change During
Puberty?
 What Changes Happen to
Boys?
Hair growth (pubic area,
under the armpits, and on
the face)
May get more hair on arms,
legs, chest and back
Voice gets deeper
Penis and testicles grow
Sperm is produced
May have mood swings,
sexual thoughts and
feelings
What changes happen

to boys?
Grow taller
Bones grow
Muscles grow
Weight gain is normal
Hair and skin become
oily and you may get
pimples
Body sweats more
 What changes

happen
Grow taller
to girls?
Bones grow
Hips get wider and more
curvy
Weight gain is normal
Hair and skin become oily
and you may get pimples
Voice gets a little deeper
 What changes
happen to girls?
Hair grows under armpits
and in pubic area
Hair on arms and legs may
grow darker
Breast and nipples get larger
Body sweats more
Menstruation (period) begins
May have mood swings,
sexual thoughts and feelings
 Male
Reproductive
System
Urethra

Penis

Testes or Testicles

Scrotum
Male Reproductive System

Bladder
Seminal Vesicle

Prostate Gland
Urethra

Penis

Epididymis
Testicle or Testes

Scrotum
What Is an Erection?
If semen is going to come out, the penis is likely
to be erect.
A penis gets erect when blood rushes to it.
Muscles push the semen into the urethra and out
the penis
This is called ejaculation
 What Causes an
Erection?
Boys get erections for all kinds of reasons.

When a boy has to go to the bathroom

When nervous or anxious
By touching their penis
Sometimes for no reason during puberty
 When Does
Ejaculation

Happen?
If a boy wakes up and finds a wet, sticky spot on his
sheets or pajamas - semen came out when he was
sleeping. This is called a wet dream.

If a boy touches or rubs his penis and it get erect

and semen comes out. This is called masturbation.

Some boys have wet dreams - some dont.

Some boys masturbate, some dont.

 Female
Reproductive
System
Fallopian Tube Ovaries

Uterus

Cervix

Vagina
Female Reproductive
System
Fallopian Tube

Ovary
Uterus

Bladder

Cervix

Clitoris

Urethra Rectum

Vaginal Opening
So What Are Periods and
Why Do They Happen?
Girls are born with hundreds of
thousands of tiny eggs, called
ova one is called an ovum
These egg cells are only half
formed
At puberty, hormones tell the
ovaries it is time to start
releasing ova
Usually one egg at a time
develops and is released from an
ovary
So What Are Periods and
Why Do They Happen?
At the same time, the uterus starts
to grow a thick lining on the
inside wall
The lining has lots of tiny
blood vessels
The lining is there to protect
and feed an egg that has
combined with a sperm to
form a fertilized egg
So What Are Periods and
Why Do They Happen?
If an egg does not meet a sperm, the
lining is not needed.
It breaks up
Mixed with some blood it comes
out the uterus into the vagina
and then out the vaginal
opening
This is called menstruation but lots
of females just call it their period.
If a woman is not pregnant then
her ovary will release another
egg, the lining build up and, if
the egg is not fertilized, she has
another period
 When will I get my
period?
No one can tell exactly when it will start
Many girls get some white or yellow stuff on their underwear
It is mucus and tells the girl that her period is coming sometime within
the next year

How long will the bleeding last?

Each female is different. It can vary from 3 8 days
During a period we only lose a few tablespoons to about half a cup of
blood in that time not a lot
 How often will I get a
period?
At first there may not be any pattern to
when you will get your next period
Some women never have a regular
pattern
Most women eventually have a regular
cycle they know approximately when
their next period will happen
The length of a cycle is from the first day
of bleeding one month to the first day of
bleeding the next time it happens
Lots of girls keep a calendar
Each person is different so some women to help them keep track of when they
may have a period every 23 days, some have their period
every 28 days and some every 35 days and how long it lasts.
What Do I do When I Get My
Period?
Females use pads or tampons to catch the blood that comes from the
vagina
Sanitary pads are made of material that absorbs the blood
Most have a sticky strip on one side to hold the pad to the underwear
Pads come in a variety of sizes and shapes
 What Do I do When I Get
My Period?
A tampon is a small plug of material that fits inside the females vagina to
absorb the blood
Some girls like to use tampons, especially if they are doing physical
activities
Some girls only use pads
It is up to you
 What About
Feelings?
Both girls and boys can experience many different
feelings or emotions as they grow up.

What are some of the feelings?

 What About
Feelings?
Both girls and boys can experience lots of
feelings as they grow up
 Where Can I Get
More Information?
Parents or other family members
Other trusted adults (teachers)
Health Professionals
Questions ?