What Should I Expect When Going Through Puberty?

BY: VAGINAL HEALTH

UPDATED: 25/03/2024

Puberty

Most of us can't wait to grow up, excited to see how our bodies change and grow, to learn more about ourselves and to chose how we want to live in the world.

But the transition from childhood into adulthood can make your teenage years a bit of a crazy time.

With lots of different physical and emotional changes, it can help you to feel a bit more prepared if you sort of know what to expect.

Throughout this post there is some helpful info and guidance regarding expected changes for those born with a vagina/uterus. Not everyone who has a vagina/uterus indentifies as a 'girl' or 'woman', but typically when you are born with this genitalia, you have more of the Estrogen sex hormone, therefore can expect to see a particular set of changes during this time.

Body Hair

Spots

Body Shape

I think we can all agree that pimples are not fun at all.

Unfortunatley for many of us though, even going through into adulthood, facial and bodily spots are very common.

During puberty our hormones are going a bit haywire, annoyingly this can lead to excess oil production, causing acne.

Although it can feel really unpleasant to have spots and pimples, they typically never look as bad as what we think they do. Fortunately, in this day and age we also have so many creams, patches and producst to help us try and combat poor skin.

For a while it may be difficult to get on top of the breakouts, if you're struggling here are a few tips:

What Should I Expect When Going Through Puberty?

Breasts

One perhaps that some of us are slightly more excited for than others - boobies.

Breast development is different for everyone. Some may have had budding breasts from as early as 8 or 9, others may not notice any changes until much later in their teens. They can develop what seems like over night or what feels like an absolute lifetime.

When boobs start to come through we may want to consider wearing a bra or a crop top to make us feel a little more comfortable, but that choice is entirley up to you.

To read more about this check out our Budding Boobies? blog.

Throughout this time we may also start to notice hair pop up in places it hasn't before.

Lower and upper legs, armpits, upper lip and... pubes, which just seem to creep up on you unfortunaltey.

One day you might notice a few wispy developments and the next you'll look down to a lovely little garden sprouting between your thighs.

A bit of a weird one to come to terms with at first but we all have them, so nothing to feel embarassed about.

Some of us do like to remove this hair and that's totally ok. But before whipping out the razor maybe check out our other page about pubes.

Other major changes we might notice are to the sizes and shapes of our bodies.

Many of us will experience a growth spurt, where bodily changes can seem to happen really quickly.

We might notice ourselves becoming taller, our hips getting wider, a bigger set of thighs or bum, and our stomach can start to look a little different.

When we start to see these changes, it can make us feel a bit more conscious of how our bodies look and how we feel about ourselves. This is known as our body image.

It can be really overwhelming when you notice such quick changes, sometimes we might really like these changes but others it can take a little more getting used to.

Unfortunatley it can become even more confusing for us when we see lots of other different bodies on social media platforms. This makes it easy to compare ourselves to the people we see online, or even to our friends!

But it is important to remember that your body does so many amazing things for you every day.

We understand that when you feel a bit icky about the way you look, it makes everything feel just a bit crap.

But your body will change at so many different points during your life. Making effort to love

yourself and to be kind to your beautiful body, will do a lot more for your wellbeing than shaming yourself or comparing body to others.

Drinking enough water!!

• It's crazy how much dehydration can affect your skin

Limiting sugar intake

• Sugary drinks and foods don't do any favours for our complexion.

Basic skin care routine

• Over complicating your skin care routine and using lots of different products can often do more harm than good. Try to just start by finding a good, simple cleanser to use every day and night, followed by a basic, hydrating moisturiser.

Dont sleep in makeup!!

• An obvious one we know, but your pores are screaming at your when you suffocate them overnight!

If you're really struggling with acne however, and it's reaching a point where it feels painful and is affecting your confidence significantly, it might be worth booking an appointment with your GP to discuss treatment option.

Body Odour

Another not so pleasant one, BO - as if there weren't enough things to worry about right?!

Again, due to the bloody hormones, throughout puberty we may start to notice some fairly unpleasant smells.