Puberty in boys and girls: features. Puberty (puberty)

Your child has already grown out of diapers and has become quite adult and independent. He no longer needs your undivided attention and control, the student may well occupy himself on his own - watching cartoons, reading, playing computer games. Do you think it's time to relax and enjoy life, after all, there is at least a couple of years before the onset of teenage problems? Forced to disappoint you, most likely you are mistaken. It is likely that soon yesterday's baby will surprise you with reactive changes in appearance and character, which will mark the beginning of a difficult and responsible puberty. The fact is that over the past 10-20 years, the age range of this period has significantly shifted towards an earlier beginning.

Features of puberty

Puberty is an age period characterized by restructuring of the body, significant changes of a physiological, hormonal and psychological nature. The period ends with the onset of puberty and the readiness of the organism for reproduction. Human development during puberty makes a significant leap, the adolescent changes outwardly and significantly increases in growth.

But the most important thing that should be paid attention to during puberty is psychology. It is necessary to conduct a confidential conversation with the child, explain in an accessible form what is happening to him and how long, presumably, this will continue. The difficulties that arise in communication should be treated with understanding, remember that yesterday's baby becomes absurd and sometimes unbearable not because of a bad character and not to spite you, but because a real storm of restructuring is taking place in his body.

Make it clear to the young rebel that you will accept and support him, no matter what actions he does and no matter how he behaves. A child who feels parental love and care is less likely to seek solace and entertainment in bad company, alcohol and drugs. To avoid this, try to occupy all of your teen's free time with activities that are interesting to him, and also control him - persistently but democratically. Of course, you cannot chain the child to yourself, but instill in him the habit of sharing your plans with you.

Puberty in girls

Puberty in girls begins at about the age of 10-11, but a 1-2 year shift is considered a normal option. You should consult a specialist if it started before the age of 8 or does not start after 15, there may be some disturbances in the functioning of the body.

With the onset of puberty, the girl's ovaries begin to produce the hormone estrogen, under the influence of which the formation of the genitals is completed, and secondary sexual characteristics develop. The girl's breasts are enlarged, the waist is outlined, the hips widen, hair appears in the groin and armpits. The pubertal period ends with the onset of menstruation.

Puberty in boys

Puberty in boys begins somewhat later than in girls - at about 12-13 years old, sometimes later. The hormone responsible for the development of the male-type body is testosterone, under its influence the testicles enlarge in a young man, breaks down voice, hair on the face and body begins to grow vigorously. The child sweats a lot, he has acne and the skin becomes oily. In addition, the boy begins to see "wet dreams" - he has the first wet dreams, involuntary ejaculation at night.

Often a teenager is not ready for the drastic changes that occur in his body. Help your child cope with feelings of fear and awkwardness, and teach new hygiene habits that can help your child cope with temporary troubles such as acne or excessive sweating.

THE PUBLIC PERIOD is an age period during which internal restructuring occurs in the body, culminating in the achievement of puberty, that is, the ability to reproduce. During this period, the characteristics of the future organism are also laid, which largely determine both the type of the final somatic physique and the nature of the responses to the effects of the environment inherent in the given organism. In boys, puberty ranges between 12 and 16 years, and in girls, between 11 and 15.

During puberty, sexual libido awakens, the first ejaculations occur (more often with nocturnal emissions). The main trend of this period is the desire for self-affirmation of all aspects of the personality. In most cases, it ends with the onset of sexual activity.

Along with explicit, specifically sexological manifestations, long before puberty proper, psychophysiological processes occur in young representatives of both sexes, which, at first glance, are only indirectly related to the sexual sphere, but in reality play an extremely important role in the formation of sexuality. These processes unfold during the parapubertal and prepubertal periods ..

Parapubertal period (1 year - 7 years). Corresponds to the first stage of psychosexual development, at which the formation of sexual identity takes place. The process of its formation during this period is divided into two phases: in the first of them, awareness of one's own gender occurs, in the second, curiosity arises, aimed at sexual characteristics. At this stage, sexual auto-identification becomes complete and irreversible.

Prepubertal period (1 year - 13 years). It is characterized by the formation of a stereotype of sex-role behavior.

Premature puberty - early development of undeniable signs of puberty; more common in girls. It is customary to refer to premature pubertal development as revealing signs of puberty before puberty: in girls up to 8 years old, in boys up to 10 years old. There is also a form of superearly sexual development - in the first weeks - months of life.

For a sex therapist, the following classification of clinical variants of premature pubertal development is most acceptable.

1. True premature pubertal development: a) constitutional, or idiopathic, form; b) cerebral form. The true acceleration of pubertal development occurs as a result of the premature secretion of gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary gland, and the changes occurring in the hypothalamus-pituitary-genital system correspond to those during normal puberty. In these cases, sexual development is observed, characteristic of the prepubertal and pubertal periods. True premature puberty in both boys and girls is isosexual.
2. False premature pubertal development: a) adrenal genesis; b) gonadal genesis; c) exogenous (drug) genesis. With false premature pubertal development, premature secretion of gonadotropic hormones does not occur. Excessive production of sex hormones secreted by the adrenal glands or genital tumors does not correspond to that in the normal prepubertal or pubertal period. The genitals remain infantile and do not function. In girls, false premature pubertal development can be hetero- and isosexual, in boys, only isosexual.

Delayed puberty is a delay in the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-genitals-adrenal glands, not a defect in any of these glands.

Faced with such a question: "Puberty - what is it?" After all, drastic changes in the behavior and development of a student are visible even with the naked eye. The time when a restructuring occurs in the adolescent's body, culminating in puberty, is called puberty. At this time, the main features of the organism are laid, which largely determine the character and so on. In young people, it occurs at 12-16 years old, in girls - at 11-15 years old.

Physiological changes

So, let's try to understand in detail the question: "Puberty - what is it?" During this time, adolescents develop. The skeletal system is finally formed, there are changes in cerebral activity and even in the composition of the blood. During this period, there are both increased activity of adolescents and sudden fatigue, which causes a decrease in working capacity. Often there are violations in the coordination of small and large movements, young people become fussy, awkward, do a lot of unnecessary things. This is due to some changes in the proportions of the body, due to a new ratio of muscles and strength, restructuring of the motor system. In development, there may be a deterioration in handwriting, sloppiness. The maturation process also affects the development of speech. This is especially true for boys. Their speech becomes stereotyped and laconic. During this period, there may also be some unevenness in the development and growth of young people.

It is very important for parents to understand and accept all the complexities associated with the time when a teenager is happening. Of course, every mother and every father should know the answer to the question: "Puberty - what is it?" At this time, some psychological changes are also observed in schoolchildren. They become more hot-tempered, rude, touchy, and more often in relation to their parents. Often their behavior is characterized by excessive demonstrativeness, impulsivity. Parents may also notice frequent mood swings, stubbornness and even protest in the child. Many teenagers become very lazy during this period. Psychologists see the reason for this in a sharp and vigorous growth, which reduces endurance and “takes” a lot of strength.

Puberty. Signs

In schoolchildren, weight increases noticeably, growth accelerates. In boys, the voice becomes significantly coarse, in the armpits, hairiness appears on the pubis. Little by little, a beard and mustache begin to grow, the reproductive organs increase, and ejaculation occurs.

Girls are actively developing mammary glands. Hairiness appears on the pubis, in the armpits. The labia are enlarged and menstruation occurs. Girls become more feminine, strive to look good all the time. Quite often, the end and the beginning do not coincide with the above age. It can be caused by hereditary characteristics of development, diet, nationality, environmental influences and living conditions. Lucky for those adolescents whose parents know and understand the specifics of such a phenomenon as puberty (that this is the process of growing up a child), because this time will pass for them with minimal grief and worries.

Puberty in boys implies a whole range of changes, both physiological and biological.

All these changes are aimed at the development of important sexual and somatic functions under the influence of certain male hormones.

Usually the period of puberty in boys begins at the age of 12 and lasts until 17, during which time, as a rule, the physiological sphere is fully formed.

At the same time, the development of the intellectual and emotional spheres requires a much longer period of time - up to 22 years.

The period of puberty in boys is characterized by an intense acceleration of growth in combination with an increase in body weight. In a few months, the increase in height can reach 3 centimeters. Along with this, there is a significant increase in the size of the gonads and phallus.

The beginning of the development of male genital organs is evidenced not only by their increase in size, but also by the occurrence of such characteristic phenomena as erection and emission.

Age

The onset of puberty in boys usually occurs at 10-12 years of age.

Until that time, all the most important characteristics were laid down at the pituitary level in order to prepare the body of a future man for the upcoming changes that indicate gender.

Sometimes the beginning of this important period occurs at the age of 14-15, which is also a deviation from the norm and is not a cause for concern.

Upon reaching the specified age, the voice begins to break, increased male-pattern hair growth and a number of other characteristic signs appear.

In most cases, puberty lasts up to 17-18 years, although sometimes it can be delayed up to 20, due to individual characteristics and external factors.

Signs of puberty in boys

External sexual characteristics

Puberty in boys develops in stages. At each of the stages, certain characteristic external signs appear.

The main sign of the onset of puberty in boys is an increase in the size of the penis.

At the age of 13, it reaches approximately 6.3 cm, and at 15 - 6.7 cm.The size of the testicles at this stage is about 4 cm.

An important external characteristic is pubic hair growth.

At the initial stage (12-13 years old), the form of hair growth resembles a rhombus, but as it grows (17-18 years old), the hairline gradually spreads to the inner surfaces of the thighs.

From 13-14 years old, the process of male-pattern hair growth begins.

At first, a soft, barely noticeable fluff appears above the upper lip - it gradually becomes harder and more intense.

At the same time, hair appears on other parts of the body - arms, legs and chest. By about the age of 15-16, the hairline of the face and body is completely formed in a teenager.

During puberty, boys begin an intense period of growth and muscle gain. At this stage, the shoulder girdle becomes stronger and wider. The pelvic region, on the other hand, becomes narrower. The composition of the body gradually acquires pronounced masculine proportions.

The puberty period brings many young men and significant problems with the skin, which are associated with increased activity of the sweat and sebaceous glands. The skin becomes coarser and greasy, and inflamed rashes often appear on them.

A striking characteristic feature of the sexual development of boys is the formation of an Adam's apple, or "Adam's apple."

At this stage, the muscles of the throat develop intensively, and the vocal cords increase in size, and therefore the voice begins to coarse and "break". This process usually lasts from 13 to 15 years old.

Musculoskeletal system

During puberty, significant changes affect the musculoskeletal system.

Due to the uneven growth of tissues, adolescents can look awkward and disproportionate for some time.

The sequence of increasing tissue size is as follows:

1. Bones.
2. Muscles.
3. Nerve fibers and blood vessels.

The development of body parts is disproportionate. First of all, the length of the hands and feet increases, then the limbs as a whole.

Only after this stage do the shapes of the face and body begin to change. The lower jaw becomes larger and more pronounced. The body becomes shorter.

For some time, a teenager may feel discomfort associated with coordination of movements. This is caused by the unusually large size of body parts and the gradual build-up of muscle mass.

Psychological features

The psychological, emotional and intellectual spheres of a young person are undergoing many changes.

External changes that a teenager is unhappy with can lead to self-doubt, shyness, withdrawal and depressive states.

Following these phenomena comes the craving for freedom of action and the search for their own individuality.

Frequent mood swings are an integral feature of puberty in boys, so apathy can be abruptly replaced by aggression and vice versa.

At this stage, parents should show wisdom and tact, as well as create a favorable environment for the personal development of a teenager and the most important male qualities.

Premature maturation

Premature puberty in boys is not common in practice.

This phenomenon can be discussed when, before reaching the age of 9-10, the boy begins to show some signs characteristic of the puberty period.

For example, he looks a little older compared to his peers, his body odor changes and his first skin rashes appear.

Premature sexual development is often false.

You can distinguish such a phenomenon from true premature maturation by checking the degree of development of both testicles. If they grow and develop, early maturation has indeed begun. The danger of this phenomenon is due to its causes - natural disruption of the hypothalamus or the transfer of brain diseases.

True precocious puberty requires immediate treatment as it can delay the growth of the child.

Later development

Among the main signs of late sexual development (maturation) in boys is the lack of growth of the genitals by the age of 13, as well as the absence of hair in the pubic region by 15.

There are several factors that can cause this delay:

• the presence of diabetes mellitus;
• kidney failure;
• anemia;
• Klinefelter's syndrome.

As well as some other pathologies related to the structure of chromosomes. With such a phenomenon, the help of a competent specialist is required.

The puberty period in boys under favorable conditions of development lasts from 10-12 to 17-18 years. Early and late development may indicate pathologies, therefore, they require qualified medical intervention.

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