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Growing Up

• The male sex cell is the sperm, the female sex cell is the egg.
• Sperms are made in the testes and eggs are made in the avaries.
• The sperm tube carries the sperm to the penis: Glands add fluid to the sperms to make semen.
• The egg tube carries an egg to the uterus every month.
• In a pregnant woman the baby grows in the uterus.
• §During love-making the erect penis is placed in the vagina.
• Semen passes out of the penis into the vagina.
• At fertilisation the sperm cell penetrates the egg and its nucleus joins with the egg nucleus.
• If the egg is fertlised it passes down the egg tube and settles into the uterus.
• The fertilised egg grows into a foetus.
• The placenta acts as a barrier to to some infections and some harmful substances.
• The cord carries blood with oxygen and food to the foetus from the placenta.
• The fluid sac acts as a shock absorber to protect the foetus.
• Contractions of the uterus muscles are the start of labour.
• babies are usually born head first through the vagina.
• Later the cord and placenta are passed out as the after-birth.
• At adolescence our bodies and emotions change.
• Hormones are chemicals that cause these changes.
• If an egg is not fertilised, then the uterus lining breaks down and leaves through the vagina. This is a 'period'.

Puberty

Puberty is the time when you change from having a child's body to having an adult body and results in the ability to have children. Your sex organs start to work and your whole body grows and changes shape. For most people, puberty is a challenging and unsettling time. Understanding what puberty is all about and knowing what to expect will help you through these difficult but exciting few years.

Puberty usually begins at around the age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys. Exactly when puberty starts varies from one person to another. Anything between the ages of 9 and 14 is perfectly normal. Occasionally, puberty can start earlier than 8 or be delayed until after 14. If this happens, a doctor may recommend a course of treatment to adjust the timing of puberty. If you're a girl, it's sensible to speak to your school nurse if your breasts start to develop before you are 9 years old, or if they haven't started to develop by the age of 14. If you're a boy, it would be sensible to visit your doctor if your genitalia (testicles and penis) or pubic hair grow before you are 9 years old, or if they haven't started to grow by the age of 14. Puberty normally lasts for 2 to 3 years. Again, this varies from one person to another. It can take as little as 1½ years and as long as 5 years.

For both boys and girls, the hands and feet start growing first. Apart from needing to get bigger shoes all the time, this can make you feel a bit self-conscious and awkward until the rest of your body catches up. There are also changes to the skin. More sweat glands develop to help cool down your bigger body by sweating. Tiny glands in the skin called sebaceous glands begin producing more sebum. This oily stuff keeps your skin moisturised and supple, but it can cause a few problems as your body adapts. Sebum can block up sweat pores, causing whiteheads and blackheads. These can easily become infected, filling with puss and becoming red, swollen and sore. Large numbers of these spots are called acne, and can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Regular washing can help prevent spots, and there are treatments for very serious acne. Again, talk to your school nurse if you are unhappy or worried. The thing to try and remember is that most people's skin sorts itself out after puberty, so it is a temporary, if annoying, problem.

Some Worries You May Have............

• Worrying about the way your body is changing, and what others are thinking about the way you look.

• Feeling that you're different from friends of the same age - either more physically developed or less. Either can be a source of worry, and can make you feel isolated from your friends.

• Being misunderstood, especially by your teachers and parents.

• Wanting more control over things. This can bring you into conflict with adults in authority like teachers and parents.
  Wishing to be part of the crowd, fitting in with a group of friends, going places and doing things together. Again, this can cause arguments if your parents don't approve of your choice of friends or clothes.

• Concern about your sexuality - whether you might be gay or lesbian and how you will handle it if you are.

• Anxiety about the future as you start to think more seriously about what you want to do and what sort of person you want to be. Adults often see this as sulkiness or being moody and self-centred - another source of tension.

Just to make things even more complicated, puberty brings another explosive ingredient into your life - sex! As well as making you change physically, sex hormones affect the way you feel, preparing you for sexual maturity. Most people start to experience sexual feelings and fantasies. These can be very strong and difficult to deal with. It's common, and normal, to imagine kissing and having sex with other people. Most teenagers have 'crushes' on adults they fancy, and imagine having sex with them even when this is obviously out of the question. It's also common to have sexual fantasies about members of the same sex, as well as members of the opposite sex.

Then there are the pressures of school, with exams, option choices, harder class work and more demanding homework. Just to top it all, it's a time when many people need to wear braces on their teeth or start wearing glasses. All in all, it's no surprise that puberty and the teenage years can seem so tough, and knowing that what you're feeling is 'normal' doesn't make it any easier to cope. Building respect for yourself and gaining confidence takes time, and it's easy to get knocked back now and again. Teenagers can be incredibly cruel, and most people get teased about something from time to time. Having a bit of a joke is one thing, but deliberately trying to hurt someone by teasing them is a form of bullying. This behaviour sometimes comes from emotional or physical abuse at home. At other times it's an attempt to look 'hard' in front of mates. Whatever the reason behind bullying and teasing, it's quite common and can make the victim feel desperately lonely and miserable.

Hormones

Hormones are chemicals that are made in several organs of the body. They are released into the blood in tiny amounts, and travel through the body to other organs. These chemical messengers co-ordinate the different organ systems, so that they grow and develop correctly and work together properly. Some hormones have a sudden, dramatic effect. Adrenaline, for example, is released if you are frightened or nervous. It prepares your body to run or fight, causing 'butterflies' in your stomach by sending blood to your muscles and away from your digestive system. It makes you alert and you breathe quickly. The effect doesn't last for long, though, and your body soon returns to normal after you've calmed down. Other hormones have slower effects that last for a long time. Growth hormones and sex hormones are like this. Puberty starts when the pituitary gland begins releasing hormones into the blood which tell the sex organs to start making sex hormones. The pituitary is a small organ, the size of a pea, in the middle of your head just underneath your brain. It also makes human growth hormone, which helps cause the growth spurt during puberty. In boys, the testicles (also called testes) start making the male sex hormone testosterone. This is what causes most of the changes during puberty. In girls, the ovaries start making oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen is the female sex hormone that causes most of the changes during puberty. Progesterone, oestrogen and other hormones work together to control the menstrual cycle. Surprisingly, men's bodies also make a small amount of oestrogen and women's bodies make a small amount of testosterone.

Having Children

• List the different stages in a human life in the correct order.
• Decide what are good reasons for having children.
• Label a diagram of the male reproductive system.
• Label a diagram of the female reproductive system.
• Observe differences between a sperm and an egg.
• Find out the rules and traditions that some societies have which stop too many children from being born.
• Observe changes in the developing foetus.
• Write a story about life in the uterus.
• Design a poster to show pregnant women that their habits will affect their babies.
• List the physical and emotional needs of a baby.
• Discuss in a group the needs that parents have to provide for in their children.
• Identify changes that take place at puberty.
• Discuss in a group emotional problems that occur at adolescence.