How to Know when You Hit Puberty

Among boys, puberty begins between the ages of 9 to 14 and usually ends between the ages of 16 to 18. To know when you have hit puberty, check for the following signs:

• Size of testicles: One of the first signs of puberty among boys is the increase in the size of their testicles.
• Size of penis and scrotum: A year after the increase in size of testicle, the penis and scrotum starts to grow.
• Body hair: After hitting puberty, hair growth increases in parts such as arms, legs, arm pits, chest, hands, feet, pubic region and chest. This change is most prominent as earlier in those regions where there was usually thin hair or no hair at all.
• Body Odor: As boys hit puberty, various hormonal changes affect their sweat glands. Due to this, their body odor becomes more prominent and the odor also changes and turns a bit different and strong.
• Swelling in chest: When some boys reach the age of 13 or 14, their chest starts to swell a bit and this can happen for 1 – 2 years.
• Acne: During puberty the oil glands becomes more active and hence your skin becomes more prone to acne. Take a look at these natural remedies to get rid of acne.
• Wet dreams: Wet dream is the phenomenon when a boy becomes sexually aroused in his sleep and ejaculates semen. Not everyone experiences this phenomenon.
• Voice: When a boy hits puberty, his voice will start cracking. After few months it will stop cracking and becomes deeper.
• Growth spurt: After hitting puberty, boys go through a growth spurt. In such situation one might find that he has suddenly become taller than most of his friends.
• Mood swings: Puberty can play roller coaster with your emotions and hence you might start experiencing lots of mood swings.
• Emotional change: After hitting puberty, boys start feeling attracted to other girls or boys. He will start feeling more intense emotions in comparison to his past.

As we'll explain below, girls usually start experiencing puberty sooner than boys, though it can start at the age of 8 until the age of around 12.

• Growth: Among girls, hitting puberty brings lots of physical changes such as gain in both height and weight.
• Armpit hair: Your armpit hair will suddenly start to grow and become dense once you hit puberty.
• Breast development: Once a girl hits puberty, her breast size will start to increase. While in some girls this change happens early and in some the development is quite late.
• Changes in genital area: When a girl goes through puberty her sexual organs will show changes. The size of clitoris will grow and the growth of pubic hair becomes quite prominent.
• Period: The Period is the major change that occurs in a girl’s body once she hits puberty. For some girls their period might start as early as the age of 8 while in some it can be after 16 also. Typically, in most girls period starts between the ages of 10 to 16.
• Acne: Just like boys, acne can also occur in girls when they hit puberty.
• Body odor: Among girls the sweat gland are most prominent in armpits, breasts and genital area. The body odor will become more pronounced at such parts.
• Increase in interest in others: After hitting puberty, your interest will increase in boys or girls. You can realize it if you find yourself noticing other people in a different and exciting way.
• Mood swings: Girls go through some major mood swings when they hit puberty. So, don’t be afraid if you are experiencing one as it is perfectly normal.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

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