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Puberty can be defined as the changes that occur in a child’s body when a child reaches a certain age to show that the child is becoming mature. Puberty happens to both genders- male and female. A child is approaching adulthood.
It is quite ironic that when puberty occurs, it makes a child not be able to engage in certain activities that He/she would normally do- very contrary to the effect it heralds; vibrance and vigour. Activities like running around naked, bathing outside and playing in a certain way with the opposite sex; this is because self-consciousness sets in. Puberty doesn’t just affect the child’s physique but affects the mental and social life as well.
This article focuses on puberty as it concerns the girl child.
Puberty in Girls Begins from the ages of 10/11 years. The main hormones responsible for puberty are estrogen and progesterone; the secretion of these two hormones causes certain changes to happen in the body of the girl child.
The changes that occur in the life of a girl child during puberty can be grouped into the following:
1. Physical changes
3. Mental changes
4. Social changes.
The physical changes are the first and visible changes to hint on the presence of puberty and they are as follows;
A. Breast Development
B. Hair Development
C. Sweating
E. Menstruation
F. Increase in Height
G. Wider Hips
H. Acne
I. Development of the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tube
Breast development is the first visible sign in a girl child that shows puberty has started and this begin from the age of 8 and 13 years. The breast budding takes place 2-3 years before the first period.
The appearance of coarser hair textures in the pubic, armpit and sometimes the leg regions begin to take place and these fibre growths provide the need to shave. The hormone responsible for causing darker hairs is known as ANDROGEN
Note: Shaving of the hairs at the arm-pit, pubic region or legs does not make it grow thicker, it only helps to remove the hairs and make these areas of the body neat and prevent inconvenience.
Other ways of shaving include the use of chemical hair remover(cannot be used for the pubic region), waxing, electrolysis and laser hair remover.
Sweat production is increased during puberty because the hormones responsible for puberty in the girl Child causes the sweat glands to open thereby producing more sweat. Sweating in puberty begins a year after puberty starts. There are two types of sweat glands responsible for sweat production they are;
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a) Apocrine gland
b) Eccrine gland
Apocrine gland: This gland produces sweat when a person is under an emotional condition which could be tension or a stressful situation example; fear, nervousness also when a person is excited too, it produces sweat.
Eccrine gland: this gland produces sweat to regulate body temperature.
1. When the girl Child is under tension, this could trigger the production of excess sweat that could leave wet marks, coloured patches and stains in clothes.
2. When the temperature is hot and the body wants to regulate the temperature
3. During menstruation
Note: Antiperspirant is different from deodorant
Also Read: Maintaining Proper Hygiene
Vaginal Discharge is a thin clear transparent or whitish fluid noticed in the underwear of a girl child this discharge happens as the vagina develops a new community of healthy bacteria. It makes the inside of the vagina acidic to be able to fight bad bacteria that want to infect the reproductive tract. This vaginal discharge occurs in a period of six months to a year. It varies in colour as the time gets closer for the period to start, some may appear stretchy.
The hips of the girl child become wide and the waist gets well rounded and defined. Also, an increase in height is noticed six months to a year before the start of the period, it could happen simultaneously with the start of the first period.
The vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes grow in size during puberty. Also the feel and looks of the vulva changes; the outer and inner lips of the vulva look bigger and different, the clitoris too also grows in size as well.
During puberty, the level of sweating is increased and this could cause acne to appear on the face of the girl child. Acne is a sign before the period occurs. It appears sometimes as a result of the hormones produced in the body.
Menstruation is a normal monthly process where female under-going puberty, goes through as their bodies prepare them for potential pregnancy, it is regular cycling of hormones that occurs in the reproductive systems of females. Menstruation starts from 11- 15 years. It is also known as PERIOD or MENSES.
Menstruation can also be defined as the monthly shedding of blood and the lining of the uterus from the vagina. The first period a girl sees is known as MENARCH
The menstrual cycle is the time interval between the start of one period to another, there are different Menstrual cycles; 28days, 30 days and 35 days are its variants. The 28 days cycle lasts 3 days, that of 30 days lasts 5 days and the 35days cycle lasts 7 days.
Note: period starts two weeks after ovulation
During puberty, the reproductive organs of the girl child begin to develop. Every female is born with ovaries and eggs but at puberty, these eggs begin to mature and as they do, one egg from the ovary would travel through the fallopian tube towards the uterus or womb every month, this process is known as OVULATION.
At this time the lining of the womb is already preparing itself by being thick and soft with blood tissues just in case the mature egg gets fertilized. If the egg or ova is not fertilized, then this ova breaks and flows out as blood along with the lining of the uterus that was not used from the vagina, this is what is called MENSTRUATION, PERIOD or MENSES.
Visit your doctor if you notice these signs about your Menstruation
See a doctor if;
Pre-menstrual symptoms are the signs that give a female a clue a week or two before the commencement of her period it is different from pre- Menstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD) and starts from late 20s o mid-40s; PDD is a severe case of PMS that can cause one disrupt in work and personal relationship.
PMS (pre-menstrual symptoms) is said to be caused by a drop in the level of Osterogen and progesterone a week before commencement of period, it can also be caused by a change in the chemical composition if the brain and difference in certain vitamins and minerals.
Things that can help you when dealing with PMS includes;
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