Dr. Zoe Williams - TV Medical Presenter and NHS GP
Short Biography...
Select an answer to get started
Who are you
Hi, I am Dr. Zoe Williams. I'm a GP, author, podcaster and mediam medic, and I would love for you to come and ask me your questions about your preteens and teenagers, whether that is in relation to their physical health, their emotional health, their social health, or their sexual health.
What are the stages of female puberty?
So in girls puberty tends to start between the ages of eight and 13. And puberty is the female body transitioning from being a girl to being a woman. And the first changes are a rapid increase in the production of the main female sex hormone, which is called oestrogen. The first sign that most girls will realize is breast buds. So this is when underneath the nipple, some tissue starts to grow. So it can feel like a swelling, a thickening, or a bit lumpy, and it can be a bit tender, and it actually tends to happen on one side first, closely followed by the other. So don't be alarmed if that happens to you. Other changes that then come along are growing body hair in places where you might not have noticed it before. So in the pubic region and the armpits and the hair on the arms and legs as well, it's always been there, but it tends to get thicker and darker, and there were lots of other changes as well in response to this oestrogen. So it stimulates the oil glands in the skin. It makes the skin more oily, and this can make it more likely for you to get spots and pimples or even acne, and that's really common. Lots of people throughout puberty get acne. It's completely normal, but there are lots of things you can do to treat it, and it's actually important for the skin to have that extra oil because one of the big changes is that you start growing rapidly, so you get a lot taller, but also you lay down body fat, particularly around the breasts, around the hips, maybe the thighs, and that's completely normal as well. Your hips also get a bit wiser, and this is all your body preparing in the future to be able to carry babies and give birth to babies, even if that's something you decide you don't want to do later on, your body's still making those preparations, so it's completely normal. But some people tend to lay down more body fat than others, so sometimes you have friends that don't seem to be gaining weight and some people gaining weight more. It's all normal, don't worry about it. Other changes, obviously, you start to have your menstrual cycle start to have periods, and that usually kicks in about two years after the breast buds. So after the first signs of puberty and the normal ages. Therefore, the normal age range for periods starting is between 10 and 15. It does happen to some people younger than that and some people older. But if you're under the age of 10 or over the age of 15, it is worth speaking to your doctor just to make sure that everything's okay. Other changes, oh, what else is the body odor as well? So the sweat glands that are in the armpits and the pubic region, even your feet, you might notice that your sweat starts to smell, and that's because we have sweat glands all over our body. But in these regions, the sweat glands are different. They're called apo cream, sweat glands, and. Rather than just secreting sweat, that is salty water, there's also oil in the sweat. And that oil provides food for bacteria, and it's the bacteria that cause the smell. So it's really important when you start to notice that, that you're washing every day and you're changing your clothes every day as well. So there's lots of changes, and I think the more you know about them, the more you can prepare for them, you know that they're normal, you're not going to be frightened by them and look forward to it because puberty, whilst it can be challenging, it's also a really exciting time in your life.
How can I talk to my son/siblings about their sisters puberty & periods?
It is completely normal to gain weight during puberty. In fact, you should be gaining weight during puberty. Two reasons. The first one, obviously you're growing taller, so you're going to get heavier because of that, but also it's normal for your body to start laying down more fat tissue, especially around the breasts, around the hips, the thighs. And you might notice that your hips get wider as well. It's important for your body to have a certain amount of fat tissue in order to have your menstrual cycle every month, and your body is preparing for you to potentially one day if you choose to be able to carry babies and give birth. So these changes are completely normal. However, what you might notice is that some people tend to lay down more fat tissue than others. We're all different, and it's largely based on our genetics. So for example, I was really skinny until about the age of 18, and my friends were getting boobs and I wasn't, and I think I wanted more boobs, but then I had other friends who had bigger boobs who didn't want such big boobs. And we can have this tendency to not really want what we've been given, but we don't have a lot of control over it. What is really important is that we try and be as healthy as we can, and our health is not determined completely by our body weight. We can have a larger body and be very, very healthy. We can have a slimmer body and be less healthy. So for example, you might have somebody who's going through puberty and they've gained quite a lot of weight. They've got quite big boobs, quite wide hips, and they've put some weight on their thighs, but actually they eat loads of fruit and vegetables and they're really active and they walk to school and back every day and they get really good sleep and they have really good relationships with their friends and they're generally happy. That person, despite having a bigger body, is generally healthy. You might have somebody who's very slim, but they don't do any exercise and they eat a lot of junk food and they don't get enough sleep. And there are things in their life that make them stress, which they may not have control over, but they might. If you round it up, that person's likely to be less healthy. So I think body weight, we put so much emphasise as a society on body weight, and of course, being very, very underweight or very, very overweight can impact our health. But gaining weight during puberty is normal. Don't stress about it. Just stress about the things you can control, like eating loads of fruit and vegetables, being regularly active, trying to get good rest, and thinking about the relationships you have and trying to make your life as stress-free as possible.