Puberty

Typically, puberty begins in girls at about the age of eleven or twelve, but can start as early as the age of eight or as late as fourteen. Puberty in boys usually begins about six months to one year later than in girls. The first signs of puberty in girls include the beginnings of breast development, significant increases in height and weight, acne, widening of the hips and the initial appearance of pubic hair. For most girls an increased interest in boys also accompanies the onset of puberty. Girls usually have their first menstrual period about two years after puberty starts. The final stage of puberty, in which a girl's breast development, pubic hair development and full height is reached is most often completed by the age of fifteen, but may not occur until the girl is nineteen years of age. At this point, the young woman's menstrual cycle has become regular and predictable.

Early bloomers, who begin puberty at a younger age, often have problems with being teased in school, and may gravitate toward the older teens that they physically resemble more than their peers. This is almost always problematic in that the younger girl is usually not as emotionally mature as her older counterparts and often has a more difficult time making age-appropriate decisions regarding her behavior. These girls may also be unprepared for the changes that are occurring in their bodies and especially for having their first period. Often, they feel isolated, as if they are the "only ones" experiencing these changes.

Girls who develop later than the average may also be teased by their peers. They are usually better able to cope with the onset of their first menstrual period however, as they are more emotionally mature when it occurs and have had the benefit of learning from the experiences of their peers.

The girls who go through puberty in the average age range tend to feel awkward and uncomfortable with their bodies and the changes they are experiencing, but also feel comforted by the fact that most of their peers are in the same predicament.

A girl's first menstrual period is quite often an emotional event. Since there are no adequate predictors of when it will occur, it usually comes as somewhat of a surprise, even to the most prepared girls. Depending on where a girl is when her first period starts, it may be more or less of a traumatic event. Certainly, the period that starts in the comfort and safety of one's own home is most likely the least upsetting for girls, with those that occur in public (school, at camp, etc.) being the most discomforting. The complexity associated with having one's period in school or public is compounded for many by the lack of easily available feminine products such as tampons or pads. For some girls, their periods are accompanied by mood swings, irritability and cramps.

In addition to any physical discomforts connected to the onset of the menstrual cycle, many girls see this as signaling the end of childhood. They, and in many cases the adults around them, are ambivalent about whether or not, or to what extent, they should be treated as an adult at this stage.

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What Some of the Girls Said:

• I started (my period) when I was eleven. I wasn't uncomfortable with it. I knew what was going on and things. My mom was there, you know, this is what this is for and this is what you have to do and this is how long it's gonna be. I don't know, just body changes and not drastic and not overnight or anything, it just kind of casually and gracefully sometimes.

• I believe it was before sixth grade. And I guess I thought I was the only one. And I didn't know many other people that had gotten theirs yet, and so I kind of felt like an outcast. But once I got to know my friends even more, I found out that they have the same problems I do and they'll be there for me if I need anything. And I'll be there if they need anything.

• I first got my period when I was in fifth grade and I was like the first girl out of my whole school out of all the girls to get my period and I was really scared. I didn't tell anybody. I didn't know what to do. I was kinda nervous about that.

• Well, I thought it was kind of scary because you're just so young and it just happens so quickly.

• At first I was kind of scared, but then I wasn't. It was like in a way nervous, because in a way, you kind of feel dirty. You feel dirty, but then you're not. And you know you're not.

• Sometimes I really wished that I was a boy, because they don't like go through the cramps and everything, it's just that I don't feel comfortable about talking about stuff like that ëcause it's embarrassing to me. So, I don't like really talk about it. It just happens, and when it's over, it's over.

• I just ran to my mom and told her. It wasn't really major, I wasn't like "oh my gosh!" ëcause my mom told me about it when I get, when I'm gonna get older, you're gonna have it and, you know, just to let you know. I wasn't really scared about it.

• When I first got my period, I was at basketball camp. I was really, really surprised and I felt like I had a dirty secret. I was really embarrassed. I felt disgusting, but even though I knew that every other girl had it, I just felt disgusting.

• Well I was baby sitting and didn't exactly know what it was. I mean I knew what it was but I didn't know if it was actually the period type thing. I felt kind of embarrassed about it. I didn't really wanna tell my mom. I didn't really wanna tell anybody because I knew that I was becoming a woman and that still kind of embarrasses me because I just kind of wanna stay a teenager and I don't wanna grow up.

• I got it in the summer. I've kind of like accepted the fact that I'm gonna have it like for the rest of my life, so I know almost every other girl has it, so it doesn't really matter that much. I am not worried about really anything.

• I had really bad cramps. But it wasn't a super huge deal and I have an older sister who I can go to for most anything.

• I truly don't think I went through puberty. I mean, I know I did, obviously, I mean, I grew up, but it wasn't like a big drastic change. I didn't gain all the weight they say you're gonna gain. I gained a few pounds and I got hips and everything else but it wasn't a really big deal.

• I know I act differently now that I'm older. I'm in middle school and your hormones are changing and you're starting to get different signs that you're getting older and you react differently to the boys. They react different to you. You're starting to like each other and wanting to go out and everything.

• Puberty for me was a time filled with lots of questions. I didn't really know what was going on. I mean, I knew things were happening with my body, but I wasn't sure why. I guess it wasn't as much being worried about what was happening, it was just the questions that I had that I was unsure about.

• Well it kind of started early for me. I didn't really notice any sudden changes, it basically just happened over a period of maybe three or four years. I remember people talking about it, but nothing had really happened to me because I wasn't really noticing it. I didn't really notice any sudden change.

• The mood swings are very drastic. I guess when I get moody, it's usually before and I can tell that I'm being way different that I usually am. And it's just changes in attitude towards others and towards yourself. I think you look down on yourself. And just things, things look different.

• I would have bad cramps or I would have this thing where I get really tired all of a sudden so I kind of know when I'm gonna start. When I have mood swings, I try to control it but if somebody is really bothering me I just get mad and I'm like, you know this is not the time to be getting' you know, so I just kind of control my mood swings.

• If I've been in a good mood, I'll be like in a good mood. If I'm in a bad mood, then I guess I'll be in a bad mood for like probably a week.

• I don't let hormones or anything control me the majority of the time.

• Actually, when I get my period, I get kind of goofy. It's like I have no other way to handle it so I just really act goofy sometimes. I really act goofy all the time.

• I don't really look at it as a big thing, I guess my mom sometimes notices mood changes and stuff like that in me, but I'm more happy all the time, I guess. Just kind of easy going.

• I don't know what it is that people in general think that, tampons and sanitary napkins aren't necessary in women's bathrooms anywhere, any public place. It gets to be a real pain, because if you don't have a napkin along with you or tampons along with you, then you're pretty much out of luck at a lot of places like restaurants and businesses and schools. Especially in schools, and it causes a lot of problems. Let's say you get a five-minute hall pass and you have to run to four different bathrooms to put your quarter in the machine. It's really a time waster and also it gets embarrassing having to go into the office and ask for a tampon every time, especially if your administrators are male.

• I didn't really feel different because I'm having my period. I kind of expected a little more respect, because if I'm a woman, then I should be treated like a woman and not like a little girl. But when it comes to maturing, I didn't really develop more maturity because of having my period. Being mature was something that I wanted to do, and I didn't want to be considered a little girl anymore.

• I don't really believe you can consider getting your period as becoming a woman, because everybody gets it at a different time and it's your maturity level that makes you a woman and I don't believe that really made me a woman.

• I think the hardest thing about being a teenager is growing up and just not being able to act like a kid, because people expect more of you. And it pretty much sucks, because then you have to work harder, I'm not saying that working hard is a bad thing, but sometimes, you don't want to work hard or anything. And it's mostly about going through different changes.

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Beyond the Butterfly is co-produced by Wisconsin Public Television and NEWIST/CESA #7 (Northeastern Wisconsin In-School Telecommunications).