A male child goes through many important changes during puberty. Your body gets bigger and stronger, your voice cracks as it changes, you become more muscular, and you begin to mature sexually.
While the entire process takes several years, there are five stages of puberty that boy go through. Puberty tends to begin later for males than females, and typically starts between age nine and 14. However, keep in mind that the timing of when each stage starts and ends varies widely, so the age at which you go through them can be hard to predict.
Signs of puberty in boys
Some males mature faster than their peers, and some physical changes may be more gradual than others.
A number of these physical changes are very personal. You will likely notice this. Some of these may be embarrassing experiences for you and you will likely keep much of this private.
Body shape
Externally, you may notice your body begin to grow, but just before that happens, you may put on a little weight and look like they’re all arms and legs. Next comes a growth spurt in height, often around the age of 13.
Your shoulders will broaden, and the muscles will develop more definition, too. You will become noticeably stronger and can take advantage of that by beginning a regular workout routine if desired.
Sweating, hair, and acne
Personal hygiene is probably one of the biggest changes for young males. Pre-puberty, it may have been hard to get you to wash your hands or take a shower, but now you will need to pay more attention to these things as you start to sweat more and develop body odour.
You should learn about shaving the peach fuzz from your face or about antiperspirants. Your hormones will produce more oil on your skin, and you may be prone to acne breakouts.
Puberty is the perfect time learn good skin care routines.
Voice change
Your voice will change around the time that your growth spurt has begun to slow down a bit. This occurs because your vocal cords and voice box (larynx) gain mass. too. Before your voice changes completely, it may crack and soar, going from high to low quickly. This can be embarrassing for you, so be mindful of this.
Breast growth
When you are first in puberty, the breast tissue may swell a bit for a year or two as some of their hormones change into estrogen. For the majority of males, this is temporary and not excessive, though, in some boys, it can be more obvious, especially if you’re overweight.
If your breast area seems excessively swollen or the swelling happens before puberty or later in puberty, see your healthcare provider. There could be a medical problem that’s causing this swelling rather than hormones from puberty.
Mood swings
Boys often have mood swings thanks to the hormonal, physical, and emotional changes you are experiencing. Be patient and understanding; this, too, shall pass.
Delayed puberty
If you haven’t started puberty by the age of 14, which means that your testicles and penis haven’t started to grow yet, this is considered delayed puberty. The most common cause is called constitutional delayed puberty. Most males who are constitutionally delayed are totally healthy and will go through puberty eventually.
More than two-thirds of males inherit this from one or both of their parents who also started puberty late. In males, this can be defined as having no increase in testicle size by the age of 14 years old or continuing to undergo puberty for more than five years after the start.
Most males who are constitutionally delayed are also short compared to other males their age, but this is just because they haven’t had their growth spurt yet.
If you have a chronic illness like sickle cell disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or cystic fibrosis, puberty may also begin later than normal.
An even smaller number of male children have something going on with their testicles that’s causing puberty to be delayed. Testosterone is the main treatment for issues of this sort.
If you have questions or concerns about how you are progressing through puberty, talk to the healthcare provider. The doctor can determine if you are growing and developing as expected and help you understand the biology that’s at work.
In the case of suspected delayed puberty, it’s possible that your penis and testicles have gradually started to enlarge, and you just haven’t noticed. Your doctor can tell with a physical exam and can run some tests on your hormones to see if there are any problems.
