Typically, puberty begins after the age of 8 in girls. By age 8 or 9, roughly 50% of Black or African-American girls and 15% of White girls have signs of breast buds or pubic hair or both. Generally, Black or African-American girls go through the stages of puberty at a younger age than White girls and Hispanic girls.
Typically, puberty begins after the age of 9 in boys. By age 9, roughly 20% of Black or African-American boys and 4% of White boys have signs of pubic hair. Generally, Black or African-American boys go through the stages of puberty at a slightly younger age than White boys and Hispanic boys.
Learn about puberty in girls and boys by clicking through the common signs below.
The growth of breasts and pubic hair in girls measures the stages of development in puberty.
The growth of the penis and testes, as well as pubic hair, measures puberty in boys.
See what the average height is for girls based on age.
See what the average height is for boys based on age.
Use the interactive tool to compare the
signs you see in your child with the stages
of puberty in normal development.
Create your own discussion guide to ask
the right questions and get as much
information as possible during the visit to
the pediatrician.
Download information sheets and find
links to additional websites with information about CPP.