Signs of Puberty in Girls: How to Tell When Your Daughter is Becoming a Woman

Who knows why we do it, but parents often put off the hard talks with their kids as long as possible. Puberty is definitely one of those talks. When it comes to girls in particular though, puberty can be a messy and embarrassing experience if you hit it unprepared. Well, sort of, actually a girl hits puberty before actually getting her menstrual period, which is the part that can be messy and embarrassing. Lucky for you, puberty also gives you some great signs of puberty in girls that your daughter may begin getting a monthly gift soon so you can start leaving sanitary items in the bathroom for her, and have a talk at some point about body changes, sex, and anything else she’s curious about.

What are some signs of puberty in girls?

signs of puberty in girls

-New hair growth: The hormones associated with puberty can cause hair growth everywhere, not just the private region that no one but your child will notice. You may notice more armpit or leg hair if your daughter is hitting puberty.

-Breast development and weight gain: While many girls begin to develop breasts well before they actually begin menstruating, it is a sign that the hormones associated with puberty are present and taking effect. Breast changes in particular can cause some dramatic body image issues in young girls, so you may want to address this before puberty. On top of breast changes, which are just fat after all, your daughter may also begin to gain weight or change shape in the hip region during puberty.

-A major growth spurt. Your daughter won’t just gain weight at puberty; she’ll also likely experience a boost in height. Typically girls hit puberty around age 10 to 12, so if you notice a major jump in height around that age your daughter may be hitting puberty.

-Dramatic mood swings. That mood swings come with hormonal imbalance is not a little known fact. PMS is famous for mood changes for this very reason. Being that puberty is an extended state of hormonal havoc, your daughter will experience some drastic mood swings as puberty onsets.

The above should help you take a rather educated guess at when a puberty talk is needed, or you can opt to just provide your daughter access to what she needs in case of an emergency period moment and wait until she asks questions of you. It’s really up to your comfort level and relationship with your child; puberty doesn’t care how you handle it. It’s not taking a rain check either way.

I Think My Daughter is Pregnant! What to Do When You Suspect a Teen Pregnancy

As parents, the last thing most of us want to consider is that our child has made a bad decision. While teen pregnancy rates were at a record low of 34.3 per 1,000 women in 2010, a 2013 survey of High School students found that nearly half of all teens are sexually active. Roughly 40 percent don’t use any form of birth control, including condoms. This leaves a fairly significant chance that your teen is sexually active and may not be using protection. This knowledge makes it unsurprising that many parents eventually find themselves suspecting their teen may be pregnant for a variety of reasons. This article explores alternative explanations for “signs” of teen pregnancy you may see as well as what to do when you suspect your teen is pregnant.I think my daughter is pregnant

“My teen is dressing differently.”
One sign some parents interpret as an indicator of pregnancy is a sudden switch to baggy clothing. While an attempt to hide a growing baby bump is one explanation, your teen could also be experiencing other body changes they are self-conscious about such as weight gain or breast growth. Finally, try to get a look at other teens of the same “group” so to speak as yours. It’s possible you’re seeing a simple change in clothing trends.

“My teen is sick all the time.”
Another common teen pregnancy scare igniter is frequent vomiting or nausea and other early pregnancy symptoms. Keep in mind that all of the early symptoms of pregnancy are caused by hormonal imbalance. Hormonal fluctuations can occur without cause at anytime in life whether your teen has hit puberty or not. Many pregnancy symptoms also mimic that of the common flu.

“I found a pregnancy test in the bathroom.”
Finally, probably the scariest sign your teen could be pregnant, a test in the bathroom used or not. Naturally, this could just indicate your teen is sexually active. If there have been other teens in the house, it’s also possible the test is belonged to someone else who was afraid to test at home.

What should you do if you think your teen may be pregnant?
Generally, nothing is actually the best course of action. Simply provide your teen with the knowledge that she can talk to you about anything and be there for her. If you approach her with accusatory behavior you run the risk of being wrong and pushing her away from you. In the case you find a pregnancy test, you may want to broach the topic of contraceptives or even make condoms easily obtainable in a discrete way. If your daughter is indeed pregnant, you’ll find out eventually, teen abortion is illegal without a parent’s permission in the majority of states and you can’t hide a pregnancy forever. The question is do you want to have that information come peacefully or have it possibly ruin your relationship with your child?

You may also want to check out:
Preventing Teen Sex: A Parent’s Plan

Sex Ed for Teens: A Parent’s Plan for Preventing Teen Sex

Between age 13 and 19 the percentage of teens that have engaged in sexual intercourse jumps from 13 to 70 percent. 80 percent have engaged in oral sex at the least. Being that most parents are hoping sex doesn’t happen for their little boy or girl until they are– oh, say 30, this presents a real problem. There are a lot of techniques parents have used over the ages to attempt to prevent teen sex and –well– obviously most of them have failed miserably. As a parent, you could try keeping tight tabs or fear tactics, but there is a better way.

Taking the taboo out of sex:sex ed for teens teen sex
 
The thing is teens want to do whatever they aren’t supposed to do, which is usually things they haven’t already done making them all the more appealing. Once they’ve done it, and gotten a top-notch reaction or even gotten away with it, it’s frankly, irresistible. The first step in stopping teen sex is taking away the taboo. How do you do that?

Sexual education:
 
First, you want to declassify and de-glorify sex. Many teens have this Hollywood created vision of what intercourse is like. When you shove the possible realities in their face, the whole process becomes a touch less cool. Not to mention if your teen is well versed in STDS, pregnancy, rape, and other sexual dangers, when they do have sex– and they will– they won’t be naive and ignorant about it.

Plan your reaction:
 
When your teen starts to show interest in the other sex your reaction needs to be a perfectly balanced. You don’t want to come off as if you discourage or encourage sex, but rather have the realistic view that sex is a part of life, but it has a time and place. Address the issue head on, be frank and let it be known you know teens have sex and how you feel about that. Your openness with your teen displays respect and removes the incentive to rebel, because you’re not commanding your teen not to have sex, or even attempting to prevent it in their eyes, just educating them and preparing them for when the time comes.

Don’t punish.
 
Finally, when it does happen don’t punish. You won’t do anything but encourage the act and gain yourself a huge headache by pushing your child away. Allow your teen to be open with you so that you are more aware of your teen’s sexual life to help guide it away from a dangerous path. It can be hard to accept that our children are growing up, but you can’t stop time.

Hopefully not relevant for you, but just in case:
I Think My Daughter is Pregnant! What to Do

You may also find helpful:
The Sex Talk Timeline: When Should You Talk to Your Kids About Sex?
Signs of Puberty in Girls