How Long Does Puberty Last

Puberty is unarguably one of the most difficult periods of life every teenager has to go through. It is a time when one’s body and mind go through a wide range of changes. Perhaps one of the many things that make puberty such a tough time in a person’s life is that it starts and ends at different times for different people in the same age groups. Since people belonging to different age groups go through puberty at different speeds, school often becomes difficult. It is not uncommon for people who are going through puberty to ask, ‘how long does puberty last?’

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to the question ‘how long does puberty last?’ If you feel left behind just because your friends have developed breasts, or if your friends’ voices have changed and they have body hair, don’t worry – it is just a matter of time. It is not uncommon to feel left out, or feel as if you’ve changed well ahead of your friends. However, since puberty hits everyone at some point or the other, the good thing is that you and your friends will all reach adulthood sooner rather than later.

Chances are that before the question ‘how long does puberty last?’ hits your mind, you are probably wondering when you are going to hit puberty. According to studies conducted in the United States, girls tend to start the puberty process between the ages of 8 and 13, whereas boys between the age of 10 and 15. The numbers normally vary depending on the ethnicity of people. However, these numbers are not fixed, and there is nothing wrong with going through puberty at an earlier or a later stage.

Since puberty is often talked about at home and in school before it hits, many people like to know what exactly it entails before they undergo it. For young girls, puberty normally entails the formation and development of breasts, as well as the occurrence of periods. Boys, on the other hand, experience their first ejaculation when they are going through puberty. They also undergo a change in voice. These physical changes are often accompanied by hormonal changes that can make behavior quite unpredictable.

The more important question, however, is ‘how long does puberty last?’ Since puberty tends to influence the way those who are going through it think and look, it is a challenging time in anyone’s life. Puberty is not an overnight occurrence, it normally sticks around for a while. There is no scientific formula for determining what the answer to the question ‘how long does puberty last?’ is. Even if you are the first in your class to experience cracking in your voice, it does not mean that your voice will be the first to mature. Studies suggest that girls tend to finish puberty between the ages of 17 and 19, whereas boys tend to finish puberty between the age of 20 and 22.