Adapted from: Puberty: Understanding Your Changing Body. SexualityandU Adapted from: Puberty: Understanding Your Changing Body. SexualityandU.ca, 2010

What are we talking about? What is puberty? What are the changes I can see and what is private? What are the reproductive organs and how do they work? How do I take care of my changing body?

What's Happening to my Body?

Your Changing Body When we talk about these changes it is normal to feel… curious disgust comfortable shy embarrassed excited

What is puberty? It is the time when our bodies change from a child’s body to an adult body. Girls – Start to release eggs Boys – Start to make sperm cell

What is puberty? These are the cells that are necessary to make a new human.

When do changes happen? Anywhere between 8 and 17 years old? Most people begin between the ages of 10 and 14 When you start makes no difference to how you develop. No age is better than any other one. For some most changes happen in a few years For some changes happen slowly over lots of years.

Boys, Girls, Both Class Activity Adapted from: Beyond the Basics: A Sourcebook on Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education. Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, 2005.

Girls Boys Get taller and heavier Hips get wider and more curvy Face changes shape Oily skin and hair, pimples Voices get a little deeper Hair grows under the armpits and around the genitals Hair on arms and legs grows darker Breasts and nipples get larger Body sweats more Internal and external sex organs grow May have mood swings, sexual thoughts and feelings. Get taller and heavier Nose and jaw get bigger Face gets longer Get more muscles Oily skin and hair, pimples Body sweats more Hair grows on the face, under armpits, around the genitals May get more hair on arms, legs and chest Voice gets deeper Penis and testicles grow, scrotum changes May have mood swings, sexual thoughts and feelings

What causes these changes? Hormones – chemical messengers that travel the blood stream from the place where they are made to the place where they do their work. Each hormone has a specific job Both girls and boys make the same sex hormones. The main ones are testosterone and estrogen. Boys make lots of testosterone, and not so much estrogen. Girls make lots of estrogen, not so much testosterone.

Matching and Labeling Activity Boy Parts Matching and Labeling Activity

Boy Parts Foreskin Penis Urethra Scrotum Seminal Vesicles Prostate Gland Testicles Bladder Vas Deferens Source: Always Changing Program, PHE Canada, 2011

Spermatogenesis Hormones makes the testicles grow and they start making more testosterone and producing sperm. After puberty you make 200,000 – 400,000 sperm cells a day for the rest of your life.

Erection and Ejaculation If semen is going to come the penis is likely to be erect A penis gets erect when blood rushes into it Muscles push the semen into the urethra and out the penis This is called ejaculation.

Erection and Ejaculation If a boy wakes up and finds a wet sticky spot on his pyjamas, semen came out when he was sleeping. This is called nocturnal emissions, or a “wet dream”. Some boys have wet dreams and some don’t.

Matching and Labeling Activity Girl Parts Matching and Labeling Activity

Girl Parts Fallopian Tubes Ovary Uterus Cervix Vagina Endometrium Source: Always Changing Program, PHE Canada, 2011

Menstruation 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 matures (develops) and is released from an ovary.

Menstruation 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. If the egg does not meet a sperm, the lining is not needed, and is then shed. This is often called a period.

Questions about Periods When will a girl gets her first period? – No one can tell exactly when it will start. How long will the bleeding last? – It can vary from 3 – 8 days. How much will a girl bleed during her period? – Usually only a few tablespoons. How often will a girl get her period – It is often unpredictable at first but later will arrive between every 23 – 35 days.

Questions about Periods Will it hurt? – the bleeding itself is not painful, but cramping that can help to remove the blood from the uterus can be uncomfortable. Will people know when a girl has her period? – Not unless she tells them.

Pads and Tampons Girls use pads or tampons to catch the blood that comes from the vagina. Pads are a sticky strip of material the absorbs the blood. They are placed in the underwear. It should be changed frequently. A tampon is a small plug of material that fits inside the vagina to absorb the blood. This should be changed frequently.

Daily Checklist for a Changing Body Shower daily Use deodorant or anti-perspirant on the underarms Wash face daily to help prevent acne Brush teeth twice per day Use shampoo on your hair to prevent oilyness Eat a well balanced diet Get plenty of exercise.