differencces

[Maras]

Hi. would you like to tell me where come from differences in puberty? i know it's individual but every boy I know started to maturation in age if 14. In age of 13 me and all my friends have small penises and have no pubic hair or body hair. Do European boys start their puberty later than American?

[johnsmith1]

I'm from the UK. I had pubic hairs and could cum at the age of 10, though at the time didn't know anyone else that could. A couple could at 11, and quite a few at 12 & 13. Only a few at 14. and 1 or 2 at 15.

[Calum mcewan 15]

Im 15 from the uk i started puberty when i was 10

[Deep Blue Sea]

I haven't started anything yet.

[HockeyLovesMe]

i think i started when i was 11 and im 13 now its way different for everybody though

[Soccerkid]

I'm from USA 13 no pubes and a 3.8in penis

[justin 13]

USA here, about 4", no pubes yet.

[tovaris]

Sone studies have been done but nothing conclusive. A very popular theory is that the age of the onset of puberty defers because of race, social enviorment and food.
Herbicide and insecticide laws are much stricter in the EU than in the USA.

[Robert100]

Sone studies have been done but nothing conclusive. A very popular theory is that the age of the onset of puberty defers because of race, social enviorment and food.
Herbicide and insecticide laws are much stricter in the EU than in the USA.

That is quite interesting, I would like I learn more

[george05013]

Hi. would you like to tell me where come from differences in puberty? i know it's individual but every boy I know started to maturation in age if 14. In age of 13 me and all my friends have small penises and have no pubic hair or body hair. Do European boys start their puberty later than American?

Its all the same

[Hermes]

There are some things we know and some things we do not know.

We know that puberty begins because the hypothalamus, part of the brain, starts making a hormone called GnRH. That acts on the pituitary gland and causes it to makes two more hormones FSH and LH. In a boy LH causes the testicles to start making testosterone, testosterone and FSH together cause the testicles to start making sperm. Testosterone then causes all of the other changes: pubic, arm-pit, body and beard hair, penis growth and development of the prostate and seminal vesicles which enable you to ejaculate. Testosterone also causes the broader shoulders (compared to a girl/woman) though some of the growth spurt is due to testosterone being converted to estrogen.

I do not think we know all the factors that influence the brain in deciding when to start producing GnRH. There does seem to be some evidence it is influenced by body fat level, which the brain can sense from the level of the hormone leptin. It certainly seems to be the case that places where food is plentiful, even to the point of excess, have a lower average age for the start of puberty and it has been getting younger over generations. We generally assume that industrial progress means each generation has to work less hard than the previous one.

It has also been noted that female athletes who have a very low body fat percentage can stop having periods or as a teen not start them. It does seem like the body has a mechanism to delay doing something that requires a lot of energy when that level of energy may not be available. In the case of the athletes it's a case of not preparing for possible pregnancy when there would not be enough engery for both the mother and baby. Puberty also needs plenty of energy with all the growth and development going on.

I am not sure if anyone knows if there are other factors yet to be discovered, though and there may be some genetic variation that is independent of the genetic influence on body type.