Girls and Puberty. about body changes and other stuff!

Transcription

1 Girs and Puberty Everything girs wi ever need to know about body changes and other stuff!

2 In this booket, we ve got together a heap of information so that you can be informed about the important stuff. And that wi hep keep you safe and happy and we. (PS: If you want to know what boys go through, have a ook at the Boys and Puberty booket.) Do butterfies get homework too? Human beings are compex things. When you re at schoo, you re expected to get your homework handed in on time and go through puberty too. Compared to us, caterpiars have it easy. They spin a cocoon around themseves and then, bingo! A few weeks ater, they emerge as butterfies. Or maybe a moth. Whereas kids have to go from being kids to aduts and earn about the mysterious facts of ife on that journey. Your body changes, but you don t get to stay in a cocoon whie it s happening. Is it just me, or have i arrived on a new panet? When you hit puberty, things change. Girs start to turn into women, and boys start to turn into men. The body changes and the way you ook at the word often changes too. Puberty is a gradua thing and everyone goes through it. Puberty happens to you even whie you are getting your homework done, swimming at the beach, or going to the movies. It is the body s way of making it possibe for you to have a baby ater in ife. Whether you are a gir or a boy, you wi experience the physica and emotiona changes of adoescence. For girs, puberty can begin between 9 and 11 years od. For boys, it s around 12 or 13. But it can begin earier or ater for boys or girs everyone is different. Puberty is a time of many changes. Sometimes when you re in the midde of it, you might fee there is no one to tak to. Want to know something scary? Parents often understand more than you woud think! Don t forget, they went through puberty too. If you don t want to tak to your parents, you coud try taking to a trusted reative or friend. Saying things out oud can be a good way of getting things cear in your mind. 1

3 So you know a about the ifecyce of a butterfy? And you know why it s important to ook after your body? Most of this puberty stuff you have probaby aready picked up from somewhere books, movies, the schoo nurse, the net, your mates, but do you know the whoe story? On the foowing pages, you wi find usefu information and advice about what happens to your body during puberty. Things that change Breasts (range in size, nippes, bras, breast checking) see page 4 Getting hips (hips, thighs) see page 4 Body hair (armpits, arms, egs, around vuva) see page 5 Your genitas (vuva, citoris, vagina) see page 5 Reproductive system (uterus, ovaries) see page 6 Getting your period (menstruation, when, how ong, pads, tampons) see page 7 Other vagina fuid (what to expect) see page 10 Looking after yoursef Eat right and exercise see page 10 Acne and pimpes see page 11 Are there things you have ever wondered about... but haven t dared to ask? Sweat see page 11 Concusion further information see page

4 Things that change During puberty, your body changes to the way it is going to be when you are an adut. You wi probaby gain weight, just as you have done since you were a baby. This is perfecty norma. getting hips During puberty, you wi gain some weight as your pevic region begins to ater so that your body wi be capabe of bearing chidren ater in ife. During this process, your hips may widen and your thighs may become more rounded. Body hair As you go through puberty, you wi start to notice hair under your arms and in your pubic area. This wi be fine and straight at first, and wi become thicker and curier as you get oder. You may aso find that you have more hair on your egs. breasts In most girs, the first sign of puberty is when breasts start to deveop. You might be 8, or you might be 13 when this happens. Either way, this age range is perfecty norma. You may aso find that your nippe area becomes more sensitive at the start of puberty. Breasts come in a shapes and sizes. Some girs worry about the size of their breasts and think they are too big, or too sma. Some girs worry about the shape of their nippes. There is no one right way for breasts to be. A breasts, whatever the size or the shape, are capabe of producing enough mik to feed a baby when the time comes. That s the beauty of their design. When shoud I get a bra? There is no set time when it is right to start wearing a bra. Don t beieve everything the fashion industry tes you! It is a good idea to tak it through with a trusted oder femae first. Then, have someone experienced come with you when shopping for bras. That way you can make sure that you buy a bra with good support that wi suit your needs, especiay if you pay sport (or wear a ot of strapess ba gowns!). Have a ook at the other women in your famiy. Their body shapes are probaby the form your own body wi take. You wi see other bodies too, especiay in magazines and on TV. Sometimes it is hard to avoid comparing your own with these and feeing you are too ta or too short, too fat or thin. Most probems and dissatisfactions arise from comparison. Try to remember that there is no one perfect shape. Women come in a shapes and sizes. If you are happy and heathy and comfortabe with your body, then you wi find it easier to be happy being you. Shoud I shave? Some women choose to shave or wax the hair under their arms, around their pubic area and on their egs. There is no heath reason for doing this. It is a matter of choice. You might ike to tak your decision over with a parent or a trusted adut before you do it. Avoid sharing razors with other peope. You might aso find there is more hair on your arms and face than before. This is norma. Hair growth wi probaby sow down once your hormones have setted down. It is probaby more noticeabe to you than to anyone ese, but if it is worrying you, there are safe ways of removing unwanted hair growth. Again, it s probaby a good idea to tak about it first with a parent or an adut that you trust. Your genitas (sex organs) Your genitas are made of many parts and are difficut to see. You can use a hand-hed mirror to become more famiiar with your own body. The vuva is the outside part of a woman s genitas. The vuva incudes pubic hair, the inner and outer vagina ips (abia), the citoris and the openings of the vagina and urethra. The urethra is the tube which carries urine away from the badder. The outer abia are the arge feshy ips which cover the vuva. The inner abia are the fods of skin that protect the entrance to the vagina and urethra. The inner abia may be covered by the outer abia. But it is aso quite norma for them to extend outside. Every woman s abia are different in shape and size. The citoris is just above the urethra. The part of the citoris you can see is ony the tip. This tip is about the size of a pea. It has many sensitive nerve endings. It aso has a shaft which extends into the body. When you fee sexuay excited, the citoris fis with bood and swes. When the citoris is stroked or rubbed, this peasurabe feeing can produce an even more peasurabe and exciting sensation caed an orgasm. 4 5

5 PUBIC BONE URETHRA CLITORIS LEG OVARY FALLOPIAN TUBE OVARY UTERUS BLADDER INNER LABIA FALLOPIAN TUBE VAGINA OUTER LABIA VAGINA UTERUS (WOMB) CERVIX RECTUM ANUS ENDOMETRIUM CERVIX INNER LABIA OUTER LABIA The vagina is a stretchy tube made of expandabe musce. It is about 9 cm ong and eads from the cervix to the outside of the body. When you get your period, menstrua fuid eaves your body through the vagina. Your vagina is where a baby passes at birth. It is aso where the penis enters the body during sexua intercourse. When you are sexuay excited, it is quite norma for the vagina to become moist. Reproductive system The uterus, or womb, is a hoow, pear-shaped organ. It can expand up to 50 cm in ength during pregnancy. Two faopian tubes, one on each side, stretch from the ovaries to the uterus. These tubes carry an egg from one of the ovaries each month, genty moving it aong to the uterus. The ovaries are gands which produce femae sex hormones and egg ces (ova). Each ovary is ony the size of an amond, but it contains 150,000 to 200,000 eggs. Every month, from puberty unti you reach menopause, one of your ovaries wi reease one egg (sometimes more, but this is not common). Each egg is around the size of a pinhead. The time when an egg is reeased is caed ovuation. The bottom of the uterus is connected to the upper part of the vagina by the cervix. The cervix produces mucus. In the days eading up to ovuation, this mucus becomes cear in appearance, and eastic and sippery. During intercourse, this mucus heps sperm from the mae reach the uterus and faopian tubes. If a sperm joins with the egg, this is caed fertiisation. The fertiised egg traves to the uterus and when it attaches to the ining of the uterus, a pregnancy begins. Getting your period What happens when I get my period? Each month, the uterus prepares for a possibe pregnancy. The ining of the uterus thickens into a cushion of bood vesses, gands and iquid. If you become pregnant, this ining wi be what nourishes a fertiised egg. If the egg is not fertiised, then the ining (mosty bood and some fuid) passes out through the vagina. This beeding is caed a period, or menstruation. How ong does my period ast? A period generay asts about five days. The first day of beeding in each cyce is caed Day 1. Sometimes you may beed for as itte as two days, or sometimes for as many as eight. This range is totay norma. The process of preparing the uterus ining for a pregnancy and then disposing of the ining takes around a month (just ike the phases of the moon!). This process is caed the menstrua cyce. Periods generay come every 28 days, but this can vary. Especiay during the first two or three years, your period may be very irreguar. You might have two in a row and then go severa months without having a period at a. You wi aso find that your bood fow varies (it might be heavy, or ight) on different days of your period. How od wi I be when I first get my period? There is no way of knowing when your first period wi come. It wi probaby arrive sometime between the ages of 10 and 14 years. But it may be earier or ater. Every gir is different. If you have not begun to menstruate by the time you are 17, tak to your doctor about it. Women usuay stop having their periods between the ages of 45 and 55. This is caed menopause. How can I pan for my period? Once you have your period, it s a good idea to keep some pads or tampons ready at home. You can aso keep some in your schoo bag. On Day 1, you might ony notice a sight brownish stain on your underwear, but some girs start with more, so it is easier to cope if you re prepared. 6 7

6 If your first period starts whie you are out and about, or at a party, and you are not prepared, then you can temporariy make a pad from tissues or toiet paper and put this in your underwear. If you are at schoo when your first period comes, your teachers and schoo nurses wi be abe to hep you. They are used to these things happening, so don t be afraid to ask them even if you are not prepared. Shoud I choose pads or tampons? During your period, you can choose to use sanitary pads, which you stick inside your underwear, or tampons, which you insert inside your vagina. There are many different types of pads and tampons. It is important to find something that you find comfortabe using. You might want to tak it over with a parent, oder sister, cousin, schoo nurse or an adut that you trust. Whatever products you choose, it is important that you change them frequenty - every 3 or 4 hours during the day. Your menstrua fuid has no odour unti it meets the air. But a pad or tampon that is eft in pace too ong can begin to sme and it can ead to infection. How do I get the tampon in? You wi find instructions for insertion (and pictures) in every tampon packet. Tampons are popuar with many girs because they aow you to do everything you normay do, incuding swimming. There is a big range to choose from, incuding some with appicators, which you may find usefu at the beginning. There are aso severa sim versions. When your tampon is propery inserted, you won t be abe to fee it at a. If you do use tampons, you must change them frequenty. Though this depends a bit on your bood fow, you shoud change the tampon three to six times a day. If you eave a tampon in for onger than eight hours, the tampon absorbs too much of the protective fuid in your vagina, and there is a sma chance of getting a serious infection: toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSS causes sudden high fever, vomiting, abdomina pain, diarrhoea, headache, musce pain and rash. For this reason it is a good idea to use a pad, rather than a tampon, at night. You can aso reduce the risk of TSS by not using super (high-absorbency) tampons uness your fow is heavy. Wash your hands before and after inserting tampons. Hande them as itte as possibe. Insert the tampon genty. Find a position in which you are comfortabe, such as squatting, or sitting on the toiet. Using a hand-hed mirror can hep you see what you are doing. How do I get the tampon out? A tampon won t sip out if it is paced beyond the musces at the entrance of the vagina. It can t get ost inside you either. Remember to eave the string hanging out to make remova easier. Don t forget to take one tampon out before putting another one in. Aways remove the ast one when your period is finished. Wrap used pads and tampons in toiet paper and dispose of them in the bin. Are there some things I can t do when I have my period? When you ve got your period, you can do everything you aways do: run, ride, pay sport, dance. If you swim, it s best to use a tampon. But if your period is heavy, or if you fee uncomfortabe and you don t want to be active - don t. It s up to you. You shoud shower, have a bath and wash your hair as usua. In fact, the sweat gands are more active during menstruation, so you can probaby aim to keep even ceaner than norma! If your beeding is so heavy it stops you from doing norma activities, then tak to your schoo nurse or a doctor. Wi I get period pain? Just before a period begins, you might fee an uncomfortabe ache in the stomach or pevic area. This can ast for the first 12 hours. Some girs say they fee more boated and heavy at this time. Some girs experience sight diarrhoea just before a period. Constipation is common too. If this happens to you, drink more water, eat extra fruit and vegetabes as we as whoemea bread and cereas. Try to exercise reguary. You shoud not have to use axatives. You may aso find yoursef feeing more emotiona, or moody, some time before your period begins. Not every gir experiences these symptoms. They soon disappear after your period starts. Some women and girs experience cramping and stomach pain during their periods. Cramping may be caused by too much of a hormone which causes the uterus to contract or tighten. If you do have pain during your period, try some stretches or other exercise, or cur up with a heated wheatbag or a hot-water botte on the painfu area. If this doesn t work, it is possibe to take pain reief. Tak to a parent, doctor or the chemist about what kind of reief wi be appropriate for you. 8 9

7 10 Other vagina fuid During the days of your menstrua cyce when you are not beeding, the cervix sti produces secretions or discharge. This is a sma amount of fuid which keeps the was of the vagina cean and sowy eaks to the outside. This fuid usuay dries to a creamy yeow coour on your underwear. You might notice differences in these secretions at different times of your cyce. As we discussed above, for exampe, the mucus wi become cear in appearance in the days eading up to ovuation. Sexua excitement aso produces vagina secretions. This is norma and heathy. Do I need to keep my vagina cean? Vagina fuids hep the vagina to be sefceaning, so you don t need to wash inside the vagina (douche) and you don t need to use perfumed sprays. It is best to avoid pasticbacked panty iners for every day use. They don t aow air to circuate. This can cause a hot, moist breeding ground for bacteria and may ead to infection. When shoud I worry about a vagina discharge? If you have a continuous, heavy vagina discharge, this might be a sign you have an infection. For instance, a thick, white and cheesy discharge with a yeasty sme is a symptom of thrush. When you have thrush, the first thing you notice is vagina itching. Thrush is a very common condition and it can be treated easiy. Some other infections can aso cause vagina discharge. If you have a discharge that is not norma for you, or if you experience any sores or itchiness in your genita area, then you shoud see your doctor immediatey. Looking after yoursef Eat right and exercise With a these monumenta changes in your body, it is important to ook after yoursef we. Treat your body as you woud treat the famiy pet! If you give your body the fue it needs to grow, and if you give it reguar exercise, you wi be giving yoursef the best chance to fee good about yoursef. Good food and exercise. Sounds simpe, doesn t it? And it is. What s good? A we-baanced diet. Incude ots of fresh fruit and vegies and penty of water. Exercise! If you don t enjoy sport, try hitting the dance foor (or the ounge room) with friends. Choose something active that you enjoy - that way you keep doing it. What s not? Fatty foods. Fried foods. Sugary foods (pastries, biscuits, chips, oies). Stay away from crash diets. They don t work. Being a couch potato. Acne and pimpes In puberty your body is a hormone-producing machine. The production of new hormones aso affects your sebaceous (oi-producing) gands and your sweat gands. Pimpes are caused by over-activity of the sebaceous gands. These gands ie just under the skin. They produce sebum the natura oi that keeps your skin suppe. During puberty, your hormones make the sebaceous gands grow bigger and produce extra sebum. This sebum is often thicker and fows more sowy, so it tends to cog the pores, causing pimpes. When pimpes become very infamed, this condition is caed acne. Some teenagers are troubed by pimpes and acne for severa years. There is no singe treatment to suit everybody. How can I ook after my skin? Frequent, gente washing with warm water and a mid soap or face wash can hep. Dirt doesn t cause acne, but washing can get rid of excess sebum. You may aso find that certain foods make your pimpes worse. Cut down on these. Eat ots of fresh fruit and vegies and drink penty of water. If your skin is reay bothering you, then see your doctor. Sweat Once you have reached puberty, you may aso find that you sweat more. Remember that sweating is a norma human function. The heathiest of sports peope may ose buckets of sweat out on the sports fied! By itsef, sweat does not have much of a sme but bacteria which ive on the skin can create a sme caed body odour or BO. To avoid body odour, wash your body at east once a day, especiay the underarm area, using mid soap and warm water. Change and wash your cothes often, incuding your socks. It heps to wear ose fitting cothing, made from natura fibres. An underarm deodorant may be usefu, too. Worrying about body odour is one of the many things that peope get needessy anxious about. If you bathe and wash your cothes reguary, it is very unikey you wi have a probem. 11

8 Concusion Puberty is a time of many changes, both physica and emotiona. Some of these changes are exciting, others are daunting. Don t forget that there are aduts around you who can hep you through the tricky times. When you emerge at the other end, you wi be we on the way to becoming an adut. If you want some usefu information and advice about sex, ove and reationships, ook out for the book of Reationships, sex and other stuff avaiabe from good schoo nurses everywhere! Origina cartoons by Georgia Richter 12

9 Further information If you have any sort of probem you want to tak about confidentiay with a trained counseor Kids Hep Line - (24 hours) A great site with ots of answers for 10 to 12 year ods, especiay about puberty The Hormone Factory A good site for teenagers Queensand Heath Youth Site For genera heath information HeathInfo Free pamphets and information For information about sexua heath and contraception Sexua Heath Hepine - (08) Country caers If you have been sexuay abused or assauted Sexua Assaut Resource Centre (24 hours) (08) Country caers Department of Heath, 2007 HP10367 JUNE