Changes That Occur During Puberty

It may seem to us that our children grow up suddenly, in the blink of an eye. But puberty is a sequential and drawn out affair. According to MedicineNet, an online healthcare publishing company owned and operated by WebMD, puberty consists of a series of events that requires several years to complete. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a multi-specialty health-care provider with locations in Northern California, advises that the process may take as little as 18 months to as much as six years in girls.

Sexual Maturation in Females

• Girls tend to enter puberty two years or so before boys. The most notable sign of sexual maturation in a girl is her first period. This occurs any time between the ages of 10 and 16 1/2. Girls also experience breast growth, generally occurring between the ages of 7 and 13. First, the area around the nipple becomes elevated and breast tissue forms underneath. This is a process that repeats itself until full development is reached. Growth of pubic hair is a process that can continue through the age of 14, beginning as a soft down along the vaginal lips that become thicker, coarser and grow forward.

Sexual Maturation in Males

• In boys, the scrotum and testicles begin enlarging first. About a year later, boys experience penis enlargement. Pubic hair appears at about 13 1/2 years of age and nocturnal emissions tend to occur around the age of 14.

Other Physical Changes

• Adolescents cycle through growth spurts and slower periods of growth during this time. In girls, this occurs between 9 1/2 and 14 1/2 years of age, with growth spurts that average about 3 1/2 inches a year. Hands and feet grow first, followed by the limbs, culminating with the torso. According to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, girls can gain as much as 110 pounds during this period and grow as many as 9 1/2 inches in height. Boys can gain 118 pounds and an additional 20 inches in height. According to MedicineNet, teenagers reach between 17 and 18 percent of their adult height during these years. Underarm hair appears in girls about two years after pubic hair begins. Acne is a common problem in puberty because sweat- and oil-producing glands are also maturing. In the process, these glands can become clogged. In boys, the voice begins to change, usually at around age 15. Bones gradually increase in width, mineral content and density, and the cardiovascular system and lungs also reach adult capacity.

Psychological and Cognitive Changes

• As children reach maturity, they undergo intellectual changes. Cognitively, the brain develops the capacity to think in more abstract terms and to plan for the future. Emotionally, teenagers begin to pull away from their parents as their peers become more important to them.