"Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction."
Understanding the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during puberty.
Anatomy: Understanding the different parts of the body that are involved in puberty.
Hormones: Learning about the hormones that influence puberty and their role in the body.
Menstruation: Understanding the menstrual cycle, including the physical and emotional changes that come with it.
Reproduction: Understanding the reproductive system and how it functions.
Sexual Orientation: Understanding the different sexual orientations and how they are part of a person's identity.
Masturbation: Understanding the concept of masturbation and the right time and place to do it.
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): Understanding the different types of STIs, their symptoms, and how to avoid them.
Consent: Understanding the importance of consent in sexual experiences and relationships.
Pregnancy: Understanding the process of pregnancy and how to prevent it.
Body Image: Understanding the changes that occur during puberty and the importance of body positivity and self-love.
Gender Identity: Understanding gender identity and how it is different from biological sex.
Birth Control: Understanding the different types of birth control and how to effectively use them.
Puberty in boys: Understanding the physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty in boys.
Puberty in girls: Understanding the physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty in girls.
Relationships: Understanding healthy relationships and how they evolve during puberty.
Emotions and Mental Health: Understanding the impact that puberty has on mental health and how to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression.
Safe Sex: Understanding the importance of safe sex and how to prevent unplanned pregnancies and STIs.
Parent-Child Communication: Understanding the importance of open and honest communication about puberty and sexual education between parents and children.
Consent in Relationships: Understanding the importance of consent in all kinds of relationships and how to communicate boundaries.
LGBTQ+: Understanding the specific issues and challenges that the LGBTQ+ community faces during puberty and sexual education.
"It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testes in a male."
"Before puberty, the external sex organs, known as primary sexual characteristics, are sex characteristics that distinguish males and females."
"Puberty leads to sexual dimorphism through the development of the secondary sex characteristics, which further distinguish the sexes."
"On average, females begin puberty at ages 10–11 and complete puberty at ages 15–17."
"Males generally begin puberty at ages 11–12 and complete puberty at ages 16–17."
"The major landmark of puberty for females is menarche, the onset of menstruation, which occurs on average between ages 12 and 13."
"For males, first ejaculation, spermarche, occurs on average at age 13."
"This can be due to any number of factors, including improved nutrition resulting in rapid body growth, increased weight and fat deposition, or exposure to endocrine disruptors such as xenoestrogens..."
"Puberty which starts later than usual is known as delayed puberty."
"Puberty that starts earlier than usual is known as precocious puberty."
"Physical growth—height and weight—accelerates in the first half of puberty and is completed when an adult body has been developed."
"...the growth, function, and transformation of the brain, bones, muscle, blood, skin, hair, breasts, and sex organs."
"...improved nutrition resulting in rapid body growth..."
"...the word puberty describes the physical changes to sexual maturation..."
"Puberty describes the physical changes to sexual maturation, not the psychosocial and cultural maturation denoted by the term adolescent development in Western culture..."
"...exposure to endocrine disruptors such as xenoestrogens, which can at times be due to food consumption or other environmental factors."
"...the average age at which children, especially females, reach specific markers of puberty is lower compared to the 19th century..."
"Growth spurts began at around 10–12..."
"...markers of later stages of puberty such as menarche had delays that correlated with severe environmental conditions such as poverty, poor nutrition, air and pollution."