Beginning of puberty
Normally, puberty begins in girls between the ages of 8 and 13
, and
in boys
a little later -
from 9 to 14 years
.
This process is triggered by hormones that are produced in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland: GTRH, LH, FSH. Exactly when a boy or girl begins to grow up is influenced by many factors. Genetics
plays a significant role . If the parents started puberty early, then most likely the child will experience it earlier than other children. And vice versa. Interestingly, this pattern is more often observed among fathers and sons.
— The process of puberty is also influenced by how the pregnancy and childbirth proceeded, whether there were any complications, what medications the mother took during pregnancy and breastfeeding, how the child grew and developed after birth, what illnesses he had, what physical problems he had load, whether he was exposed to stress
.
In general, puberty in modern children occurs a year and a half earlier than in previous generations. The doctor connects this with the harmful factors that our society has encountered, in particular “pseudohormones”
.
— These are chemicals of anthropogenic origin: pesticides, bisphenol A, phthalates, which are contained in food products; used for the production of plastic products, consumer goods, and synthetic detergents. They are “built into” the human body and can lead to various diseases, including disrupting the process of puberty.
The doctor also draws attention to the problem of obesity among modern children. Overweight
negatively affects puberty: it can start too early or, conversely, late. There is another negative point:
- If you are overweight, an imbalance occurs between female and male hormones - estrogens and androgens, and this is fraught with consequences. An excess of male hormones in girls can cause menstrual irregularities.
and excess body hair growth.
Overweight boys may experience a decrease in the amount of male hormones ,
which will slow down the process of puberty.
The opposite situation, when teenagers go on strict diets
.
— Deficiency or sudden weight loss can lead to disruption of puberty. But this affects fertile function, that is, the ability to become parents in the future,” explains the doctor.
How to find out the sex of a child before the 10th week of pregnancy without an ultrasound with 99% accuracy?
Women have been trying to guess the gender of their unborn child during pregnancy since the creation of the world. During this time, in the collective consciousness of people, many signs, signs, and signals have accumulated that indicate in favor of one or the other sex of the child, some of them are more or less scientific, others are purely folklore. For example, a common observation is that if a woman becomes prettier during pregnancy, then she will have a boy, and if she begins to look worse and becomes ugly, then she will have a girl.
With relatively high reliability, expectant mothers in the 20th century began to find out the sex of the child only after the 18th week of pregnancy, during a routine ultrasound. Until this moment, women used to tell fortunes using the lunar calendar, using a Chinese table, tried to determine gender using Ayurveda, the date of conception, or resorted to other, no less controversial, methods.
A breakthrough in this area of medicine occurred in March 2021, when it registered with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus and for the first time supplied the latest DNA tests to Belarus, thanks to which it became possible to find out the sex of a child before the 10th week of pregnancy with 99% accuracy without medical intervention, risks to the health of the mother and child. Maybe!
What is the SRY fetal sex gene identification test in early pregnancy?
This is a diagnostic kit that is used in laboratory conditions, which is designed to satisfy the natural interest of parents, as well as to identify the threat of developing sex-linked diseases, and is indispensable for prescribing special therapy in the presence of congenital diseases.
SRY Fetal Sex Gene Identification Test: How it works
The method is based on real-time PCR technology. First, 7 ml of venous blood is taken from the woman, where the concentration of fetal DNA is measured, which is then artificially increased in the laboratory. Since the average content of fetal DNA in the blood of a pregnant woman, starting from the 7th week of pregnancy, is 3%, sex determination is no longer a problem.
Lamira-Pharmakar brought a test for determining sex up to 10 weeks of pregnancy to Belarus for the first time and made it available for use in many laboratories in the country.
3 arguments why you can trust the results of the “SRY” test:
- According to the results of a study that involved 2 thousand women in Russia and Western European countries, Test-SRY has a diagnostic accuracy of 99.50% and a sensitivity of 99.03%, which corresponds to almost absolute accuracy.
- The test system includes markers that evaluate the quality of the provided biomaterial and exclude false results. Deviations are possible in 1% of cases when the fetal DNA is poorly represented in the mother’s blood.
- The tests have international quality management system certificates ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 (manufacturing of medical devices). Products undergo total quality control at every stage of production.
3 arguments why taking a test is better than undergoing an ultrasound:
- A routine ultrasound scan at 10-12 weeks is aimed at identifying pathologies of pregnancy and the fetus. It is not possible to reliably determine the sex of the unborn child at this time.
- During an ultrasound, difficulties often arise in determining the sex of the child, and doctors cannot guarantee a reliability higher than 75%, since the awkward position of the fetus prevents obtaining a clear image or it is not possible to distinguish the head of the penis from the fingers or loops of the umbilical cord, the scrotum from the labia majora.
- The right time to determine the sex of the child by ultrasound is 20-25 weeks of pregnancy, and this type of study is usually carried out earlier.
Where can I get tested and take the SRY fetal sex gene identification test in Belarus?
You can take a test and find out the sex of your child before the 10th week of pregnancy without an ultrasound with 99% accuracy by contacting government health institutions of the Republic of Belarus. In the near future, every regional center of the Republic of Belarus will have the opportunity to conduct analysis.
Signs of puberty in boys
Due to the active production of testosterone, boys
begin to mature from about 9 years of age. The first sign is an enlargement of the testicles in the scrotum. Then, at the age of about 10-11 years, the child develops pubic and axillary hair growth. At the age of 12-13 years, the male genital organ increases - first in length, and then in thickness.
— Frequently, at a doctor’s appointment, worried parents ask if everything is okay in the boy’s “pants” and whether the genitals are of normal size. You need to understand that it increases in size not at the beginning of puberty, but in the middle of the process. And the main significance for a boy, as a man in the future, is not the size of the penis, but the size of the testicles. It is in them that the “main” male hormone is produced - testosterone. Here's what parents need to pay attention to.
The standard pattern of growing up for boys
like this: first - enlargement of the testicles, then - active hair growth and enlargement of the penis. If the sequence is different, parents need to contact a pediatric endocrinologist. The doctor will find out whether this is normal or pathological.
— It’s worth mentioning separately about the first wet dreams
- involuntary ejaculation, which most often occurs at night at the age of 13-15 years. This is the norm and one of the manifestations of puberty. Parents should not worry about this. But you need to prepare the child for such changes in his body so that he has an idea about it in advance.
At the age of 13-15, boys begin to develop the beginnings of a mustache and beard. These are single small hairs, more like fluff. Only by the age of 16-20 do they become tougher and turn into male stubble.
In addition to active hair growth and changes in the genital organs, adolescents aged 13-15 experience a growth spurt :
boys begin to grow by 8-12 cm per year. After 3-4 years, the growth rate decreases.
Secondary sexual characteristics also appear: changes in the cartilage of the larynx and “breaking” of the voice, an increase in the width of the shoulders. This is influenced by the main male hormone - testosterone, which is produced in boys in the testicles.
Truth or Myth
American scientists have found that calculating gender based on heartbeat has a right to exist. The Americans received the following indicators: a boy was identified in 90% of cases, a girl in 70%.
However, studies conducted after this refuted the fact of the relationship between gender and heart rate (HR). Medical professionals consider this test to be uninformative, although the percentage of matches is quite high.
- Gender of baby based on heartbeat at 12 weeks. Determining sex by fetal heartbeat
In any case, checking the result obtained using this method with reality is easy and absolutely harmless. Following the reviews of many women, the information received quite often coincides with reality. Below watch a video on the interesting topic of myths.
Signs of puberty in girls
Due to the active production of female sex hormones (estrogens), girls
begin puberty from about 8 years of age. Normally, first there is an enlargement of the mammary glands, then there is active growth of hair in the armpits and pubic area.
— If parents notice that a girl’s mammary glands are not enlarged, but there is pubic and axillary hair, then it is better to consult a doctor. This may be due to increased production of androgens (male hormones).
Girls usually start menstruating between the ages of 11 and 13 .
. As a rule, before this, light, non-bloody discharge appears, and there may also be pain in the lower abdomen.
— The duration of the first menstruation can vary from 3 to 7 days, and they occur after 21-40 days. It is important to understand that the menstrual cycle in girls is not established immediately. Within 2-3 years after the start of the first menstruation, disruptions may occur. This is fine. But if more than 3 months have passed since the first menstruation, and the next one has not arrived, you need to contact a gynecologist or endocrinologist.
The abundance and pain of menstruation depends on various factors: nutrition, disease, heredity. These issues should be discussed individually with your doctor.
At the same time, girls develop secondary sexual characteristics: an increase in the size of the pelvis and redistribution of subcutaneous fat according to the female type (fat deposition on the buttocks and thighs). It is important to tell the girl about this so that she is not afraid of how her figure is changing.
- But it is important to watch your diet ,
because during this period teenagers’ appetite increases, warns the doctor. — If a girl begins to actively eat carbohydrate foods, excessive weight gain may occur, which is fraught with complexes and health problems.
Determining the sex of a child by heartbeat in the womb
To begin with, it’s worth saying what meanings exist and how this affects the baby’s gender.
Contraction frequency. It is generally accepted that boys' hearts beat about 140 times per minute. Girls have more frequent contractions. So, the muscle of the future baby can make from 140 to 160 beats per minute.
Rhythm of contractions. The boys can boast of a measured and clear rhythm. Their heart beats smoothly and evenly. In future girls, the muscle contracts chaotically and excitedly. It seems that girls are more emotional individuals even in the womb.
Dependence on maternal pulse. There is an opinion that a boy’s heart beats not only clearly and monotonously, but also much louder. Also, all contractions coincide with the maternal pulse. Girls have no dependence on the beat of their mother’s heart. The tones of muscle contractions of future daughters are more muffled and not as clear.
Belly side. There is a version that the boy’s heart beats on the left. If the sound comes from the right, then most likely a girl will be born.
