What Age Do Girls Start Puberty?

The average age of puberty onset ranges between the ages of 8 and 13, so most girls will start developing sometime between these ages. However, when looking at what age girls start puberty, it’s important to note that each girl is an individual and on her own special timeline. There is nothing good or bad about starting puberty earlier or later. You may have heard talk about this thing called puberty. You may be wondering when it’s going to start, or whether you’ve already started it.Everybody is a little different, and that’s actually pretty great because it’s what makes us unique.

Talk to you mom about when she started puberty. A girl’s puberty age is usually not far off from the age her mother started developing.

First Signs of Puberty

The start of puberty is signalled by a few key changes to your body. The first is usually growing breasts. What age a girl started puberty is typically answered by what age her breast buds appeared. Breasts develop by first showing up as something called breast buds. These are firm, sometimes tender, knots that form under your nipples. They will continue growing into fully formed breasts. This takes a few years. Breast development typically isn’t complete until age 17 or 18.

One of the biggest and most exciting changes for girls during puberty is getting your first period, kicking off menstruation, a monthly shedding of blood from your uterus (womb) through your vagina that you’ll see in your underwear. This means you’ll need to start using sanitary towels. ALWAYS Ultra pads are great because they offer up to 100% leakage protection using special gel technology to lock away liquids and keep you comfortable and protected. ALWAYS Ultra pads come in a range of shapes and sizes to fit you just right, whether you’re wearing them at school, during sports, or at night. Ask your mom or other older adult to buy some for you and show you how to use them.

When you’re ready, you may want to start using tampons. They sit inside your body so you can do things like go swimming or sit out at the pool in your swimsuit even when you have your period. We recommend using TAMPAX Compak Light for your first time. They have a rounded head that makes them easy to insert. Plus, they are small and easy to stash discreetly in your bag.

Just like a girl’s puberty age, everyone starts their period on their own timeline. However, the average age of a girl’s first period is between 10 and 13.

You may notice at this time that your hips are starting to fill out and that you’re starting to get a curvier body than you used to have. Your body is slowly transforming from a child into an adult. What this looks like will vary from girl to girl. The size of your breasts and the shape your body is taking on will be different and unique. This is the beauty of being a human. There isn’t one ideal way to look. Far from it! We all come in different shapes and sizes, and each of these has its own unique beauty.

This is also why what age you start puberty shouldn’t worry you too much. We all do it in our own way, in our own shape and size, and on our own clock. There’s no puberty calculator that will tell you exactly when these changes will happen for you. Just see it as part of the magic of it all!