In this info sheet
Puberty marks the transition from childhood to adolescence.
Your teen will experience many changes—both physical and psychological.
All young people move through puberty one step at a time—and will react in their own way.
Supporting your teen will help them understand all the changes that come with puberty.
To better understand
Teens and puberty
Puberty is the beginning of an important period of transformation. It’s the transition from childhood to adolescence, and then to adulthood.
Puberty is triggered by the body’s hormones. The body, attitudes and behaviour will change. All young people go through puberty at their own pace and in their own way.
For many young people, changes start when they’re around 10 to 12 years old. For girls, puberty starts between ages 8 and 13. For boys, it’s between 9 and 14.
Some young people may worry if their puberty starts earlier. Others may be concerned that the changes they’re experiencing are different from those of others, or that the changes aren’t what they’d wanted. But most teens adapt well to puberty.
The big changes during puberty
All teens will experience changes to their body. Many changes related to puberty are visible. Others are not. In general, these changes don’t all happen at once. They’re gradual—sometimes occurring quickly, sometimes more slowly.
Changes everyone experiences
- Growth spurt.
- More sweating and a change in odour.
- Oilier skin and hair.
- Thicker hair: legs, armpits and genital area.
- Genital organs develop.
- Change in voice.
- Acne.
- Needing independence and intimacy.
- Mood swings.
- Greater self-assertion: tastes, choices, etc.
- Taking risks and making impulsive decisions.
- Considering friendships more important than family.
- Starting to feel love or attraction for another.
- Starting to want to seduce and being more concerned about what others think of us.
- Starting to become interested in sexuality and having sexual responses (desire, arousal, etc.).
- For more information, consult :
Changes according to biological sex
- Breasts develop
- Hips widen
- Onset of vaginal secretions (Normal vaginal secretion is a substance that flows from the vagina. It’s odourless and whitish, leaving small whitish marks on the underwear. It can become brownish in the lead-up to a period).
- Fertility (the capacity to make babies starts:
- Ovulation (the ovaries start producing one egg a month)
- Menstruation
- Muscles develop
- Shoulders widen
- Adam’s apple develops (small bump at the front of the neck)
- Voice deepens
- Growth of facial hair: moustache and beard
- Greater hair growth on chest and back
- Fertility (the capacity to make babies) starts:
- Production of sperm
- Ejaculations
Being there for your teen
Practical resources and tools
1. To support you
You are dealing with a situation that worries you? Ask for help:
- Health information/Social information 811
- Tel-Jeunes Parents
- CLSC
- Community organizations: There are services available for parents of teenagers. Contact your CLSC for more information.
2. For more information
- Mosaïk Bulletin (numéro 8 et 9)
- Tel-jeunes Parents : Puberty
- Videos
- Livres
- For parents
- Julie Lemay. L’éducation à la sexualité de la naissance à la préadolescence. Les éditions La Presse (2023) (french only)
- For young people and their parents
- Lucia Zamolo. C’est beau, le rouge. Éditions La courte Échelle (2021) (french only)
- Myriam Daguzan Bernier. Tout nu, le dictionnaire bienveillant de la sexualité. Les éditions Cardinal (2019) (french only)
- For parents
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