Do You Understand Your Body?

What happens to the female body during the early teenage years?

Puberty and the Accompanying Changes Discussed!

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ADOLESCENCE AND PUBERTY DISCUSSED.

We advise that you refresh your memory at following pages The Female Organs , Menstruation and The Normal Ovary before you continue.

This page supplies basic information on the changes occurring in the female body during puberty. It should only be use to obtain information and not to diagnose or to treat medical conditions.

Puberty and adolescence is an important stage in a women's life, with major changes occurring in her body. This is the period when the secondary sexual characteristics start developing. Pubic hair starts growing, hair appears in the arm pits and the breasts begin to develop. The following step is the occurrence of the first menstrual period. This first period is scientifically called the menarche. Full sexual maturity is achieved when menstruations are regular and ovulation occurs. Her body is now ready to conceive and reproduce life. <

The age of onset of puberty and of the menarche is decreasing. Over the last hundred years there was marked drop in the age when girls become sexual mature.

The first menstruation is usually anovulatory and the bleeding can be heavy and prolonged. Normal regular periods are usually obtained within 12 months, although this period may vary. When is abnormal bleeding a cause for concern? There is difference of opinion but our advise will be that medical attention is necessary when they stay abnormal for longer than 12 months or if you are concerned by other aspects. Examples are severe bleeding, continuous bleeding or period cramps. It is difficult to define excessive bleeding but we think any bleeding that can't be controlled by normal sanitary measures should be further investigated. Prolonged bleeding is also difficult to define but we think that bleeding that last longer than 10 days should also be investigated.

What causes puberty to start?

The ovaries gradually start producing hormones towards the end of childhood. Follicles begin to develop and they produce estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for the changes that that occur . Hair appears in the arm pits and in the pubic region The breasts start enlarging. The early follicles just produce oestrogen and never mature fully and no egg cells are released. The oestrogen levels keep on rising and causes the changes that mark the differences between a girl's body and that of the young female.

The whole process is still not completely understand and some not yet discovered factors may also play a role.

Some of the early follicles regress before they ovulate causing estrogen levels to drop and this usually causes the first menstruation. The first periods are thus frequently anovulatory and irregular.

Eventually a follicle will reach maturity and ovulation will occur and a normal fertile menstruation cycle commences.

Unseen changes occurring in the ovaries and womb during puberty are illustrated in the next part.