Puberty & Reproductive System Glossary
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Acne: Acne is the name for those red bumps called pimples that a lot of kids and teens get on their skin. When your skin's oil glands make too much oil, the tiny holes on your skin called pores get stopped up with oil, dead skin, and bacteria. Then the skin around these clogged pores can swell and look lumpy or red. Usually, this happens during puberty, when your body is changing from a kid into an adult.
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Gynecologist (guy-nuh-KOL-uh-jist): This type of doctor knows all about the female body. Girls who have started to get their periods may see a gynecologist for a checkup once a year.
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Hormones: Hormones are special chemicals your body makes to help it do certain things — like grow up! Hormones are important when you start to go through puberty, which is when you begin developing into an adult. During this time, you're loaded with hormones that tell your body that it's time to start changing. Insulin is an important hormone. It regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. That sugar, called glucose, is the body's main source of fuel.
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Menstruation (men-STROO-ay-shun): Menstruation is often called having a "period." A period is the 2–7 days that a girl or woman has her menstrual flow, which is when blood and tissue leave her body through her vagina. Why does this happen? Each month, blood and tissue build up in the uterus to prepare for a fertilized egg in case a woman becomes pregnant. (The uterus is the place inside a woman's body where a baby will grow.) If the egg isn't fertilized, that lining leaves the body through the vagina and the girl or woman has her period.
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Pantiliner: You've probably seen that there are pads of all shapes and sizes — even some with "wings"! In general, you choose a pad based on how much menstrual flow you're having. Pantiliners are the smallest and thinnest. They would be OK to wear on a day that you had very light flow. Some girls wear pantiliners around the time they expect to get their period so they don't stain their clothing when it comes.
Pimple: Your skin has many tiny holes called pores. When you go through puberty, your skin makes a lot of extra oil that might clog up those pores. Too much oil may combine with dead skin and bacteria to create a pimple. Almost everyone gets pimples. But once you're past puberty, there's plenty of smooth skin ahead!
Pregnant: When a man's sperm fertilizes an egg inside a woman, the fertilized egg will grow and become a baby. That means the woman is pregnant. The baby grows inside the woman's uterus (say: YOO-tur-us). It takes about 9 months for a baby to be fully ready to be born.
Puberty (PYOO-ber-tee): Everyone goes through puberty, even though it sometimes feels like you're the only one! It's that period of time when your body changes and matures, turning you from a kid into an adult. Although everyone is different, puberty usually starts between age 8 and 13 for girls and age 9 and 15 for boys.
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Umbilical Cord (um-BIL-ih-kul kord): This is the name for the long tube that runs between a mother and her unborn baby. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the baby and waste away from the baby. When the baby is born, the doctor cuts the umbilical cord and a small piece is left attached to the baby. When this piece falls off, you can see the baby's belly button!
Undescended Testicle (un-DIH-sen-did TESS-tih-kul): A testicle is an egg-shaped gland that makes and holds sperm. There are two of them in the sac called the scrotum (say: SKROH-tum) that hangs underneath a boy's penis. When a baby is developing inside his mom, his testicles grow in his abdomen and then drop, or descend, into the scrotum. Undescended testicle is a condition in which one or both of a boy's testicles have not moved into their proper place in the scrotum. The testicle may move down on its own within a few months. If it doesn't, the doctor will do surgery to move it.
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Whitehead: People with acne may have different types of bumps on their skin. These can be whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and cysts. Where do they come from? Your skin is full of tiny holes called pores. If a pore gets clogged with oil, dead skin, and bacteria, the pore may close and form a whitehead. If a pore gets clogged but stays open, the top surface can darken and you're left with a blackhead.