Puberty is defined as the period of human development during which physical growth and sexual maturation occur and a child's body becomes an adult's body, capable of reproduction. Strictly speaking, the term puberty (derived from the Latin word puberatum, meaning “age of maturity”) refers to the bodily changes of sexual maturation, whereas adolescence, by contrast, is the term that refers to the psychosocial transition between childhood and adulthood. That said, the boundaries of puberty and adolescence overlap, thus, this entry will discuss both the physical and psychosocial characteristics of this particular stage of female development.

Puberty is an experience that unites women worldwide, from all cultures and social status. Puberty in a girl tends to begin two years earlier than it does in a ...