Puberty is a stage in your life when your body changes and matures as you go from being a child to a young adult. These developments happen because of changes to the levels of hormones (chemical messengers) in your body. 

Lots of changes during puberty are physical, but there are emotional changes too. It can be a tricky time in your life. It’s normal to have questions and worries about it. 

Read on to find out more about the changes you go through during puberty and to get advice on coping with puberty. 

Everyone is different, but puberty tends to begin between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys. The average age for girls is 11 and 12 for boys. 

The changes do not happen all at once. Your body changes slowly over a few years.

The changes you experience largely depend on your biological sex, but there are some common changes too.  

These include:

  • Acne – your skin will probably be oilier and you might get spots.
  • Height – you’ll grow taller during puberty.
  • Hair growth – you might grow hair in your armpits and around your penis or vagina (pubic hair), and your arm and leg hair will also grow more thickly.
  • Sweating more – your sweat glands change, meaning you will sweat more.

Physical changes during puberty if you’re biologically female 

  • Body shape – your breasts grow so you will likely need to start wearing bras, and your hips and thighs will change shape.
  • Vaginal discharge – you might notice a clear or creamy white liquid from your vagina that has a faint smell.
  • Periods – your periods will start (menstruation). They may well be light and irregular at first.

Find out more about periods, and how your reproductive health changes over your lifetime.   

Most schools now provide free period products. Talk to a public health nurse (previously called school nurses), or a teacher you trust, if you do not know where they are kept. 

Physical changes during puberty if you’re biologically male

  • Facial hair – you are likely to get hair on your chin and upper lip, and you may decide to shave. 
  • Deeper voice – before you get a deeper voice, it will ‘break’ and sound squeaky sometimes.
  • Body shape – you might notice your arms, legs and chest getting more muscly. 
  • Genital growth – your testicles (balls) and penis will get bigger, and you will produce semen. You may have ‘wet dreams’, which is when you release (ejaculate) semen in your sleep. Your penis may get hard (erect) when you get nervous or excited, or for no reason at all.

It’s not just your body that changes during puberty. Your feelings and emotions will change too. 

You may have mood swings. These are sudden changes in how you’re feeling, like getting moody or angry for no reason. You may feel like you cannot control how you feel. But this is normal. 

These emotional ups and downs are mainly caused by your hormones. Added to this, you may have a range of feelings, like worry, confusion and embarrassment, about your changing body. You may also start getting crushes on schoolmates, or people who are famous.

Find out more about managing your emotions in your teens. 

Even though your friends will also go through puberty, you may feel like you’re alone. There are lots of things you can do to feel better and lots of people who can support you. 

  • Open up to your friends and loved ones. Everyone finds puberty hard and it can help to share your worries. They can answer your questions and may have tips to help you feel better.
  • Take care of your health and wellbeing. When you look after yourself, you can cope better. Eat healthily, exercise to lift your mood, and get lots of sleep – as a teen, it’s proven that you need more than adults.  
  • Follow some healthy hygiene habits. Hormone changes mean your skin will be oilier and you’ll sweat more. Everyday habits like having showers, using deodorant and wearing clean clothes can all help.

Getting professional support

Speak to your doctor if you have a health issue during puberty. This might be that your acne is getting bad, you have painful periods, or you’re worried that puberty has started early or late. 

If you’re under 16, your parent or guardian has to register you at a doctor’s surgery. You can make an appointment yourself. You can also speak to the doctor alone if you do not want your parent or guardian to come with you. 

As well as your GP, there are other local services who can help:

  • Kooth offers online mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25 in Derby and Derbyshire. 
  • Derbyshire Teen Health provides health information, including sexual health advice and support. 
  • Chat Health is a text message advice service for young people, parents and carers living in Derby and Derbyshire.