3rd December, 2016
Report on a talk on Physical and Psychological changes in Puberty by Dr. Swati Bhimani (M.S. Gynaecology) and Dr. Jay Bhimani (M.B.B.S Diploma in Pediatrician) as God Company initiative.
An adolescent is a time of many transitions for both teens and their families. To ensure that teens and adults navigate those transitions successfully, it is important for both to understand what is happening to the teen physically, cognitively and socially. Besides it is necessary to know how these transitions affect teens, what adults can do about it and what support sources are available. As vast changes appear bodily among the teens irrespective of the gender, they mostly do not open up regarding the same. Hence the school decided to invite a resource person to enlighten the teens regarding these issues and even clarify all their queries.
Session for Girls (Class VI – XI)
This session was conducted by Dr. Swati Bhimani, a renowned Gynaecologist of Vadodara. She started with a brief talk on the Physical and Psychological changes seen in puberty among girls. The highlights of her talk were as follows:
- In Puberty, children tend to confide more in their peer group to get their queries clarified rather than in adults and so often get misled.
- It is very natural that children tend to become socially and emotionally geared up or stimulated with occasional mood swings leading to depression and other nerve related problems.
- Growth and development need not happen at the same time in all individuals as each one is unique.{In fact this was the response to one of the questions put forth by many of our students, who were bothered about not getting their menstrual cycle when their peers have already got it}.
- In the initial stage the menstrual cycle can be very irregular as everything has a range depending upon metabolism and food habits of the individual. It is advisable to eat a lot of nutritious and fiber rich diet as well as drink a lot of water for creating lubrication in expelling the waste from our body.
- The resource person even highlighted a lot on menstrual hygiene which is equally important to avoid the usual ailment of urinary infection and other fungal or bacterial infection in the private parts.
- Finally she emphasized on the requirement of quality time to be spent with parents.
- To a question raised by one of our students as to why women have to bear such troubles and not men, the resource person replied that it is the body mechanism of female that brings in about such changes and one needs to be proud about it as the Almighty God has endowed women alone with the ability to produce offspring of their kind.
- She ended her talk with the sincere advice to take vaccination for Cervical cancer which can be taken after 9 years of age and those who have not taken such vaccinations could get their ‘Pap smear test’ done and then go for the immunization. She also demonstrated with her palm the way to examine oneself to check breast cancer.
Session for Boys (Class VI – XI)
- The resource person started his session by giving a brief talk on the adolescent stage and the physical and psychological changes encountered with the stage.
- In his interactive session he talked about the hormonal changes which actually lead to appearance of pimples, hair above the upper lip, voice change and mood swings.
- He advised the students to take a balanced diet so as to avoid cases of malnutrition and obesity which infact brings about erratic emotional behavior.
- He even highlighted on bad touch and good touch.
- The resource person talked on the consequences in the long run as a result of using drug among teens and also on the use of tobacco right from their tender age.
Overall it was an interactive, educative and interesting session with students actually opening up with all their queries openly and a few even in private with the resource personnel.
