This article discusses puberty in terms of “male” and “female” bodies. I want to acknowledge that while sex is often defined as binary in science, gender is nuanced and diverse. This discussion of pubertal changes is meant to explore changes in developing bodies, not to take a narrow view of gender identities. For example, not all people who menstruate are female and you do not have to have a period to be considered a woman. No matter how you identify, I stand with you and hope you find this information useful.
Download to help facilitate conversation about normalizing puberty for female athletes
I’ve been working with adolescent athletes lately. I love working with this population; these athletes have started to develop their passion for sports and their skill is continually emerging.
Adolescence, typically defined as ages 10-19, is also a time of rapid physical and emotional growth and development, which impacts athletic performance, for better for worse.
Simply put, puberty is hard.
But it doesn’t have to be a mystery. And it certainly doesn’t have to be a time athletes dread.
As a young athlete, I learned to demonize female puberty. I equated physical maturity with slower running. I developed a habit of overtraining to unconsciously delay puberty, grateful for every month I didn’t get my period.
If this admission sounds unhealthy, it’s because it is. But unfortunately it’s not uncommon and I didn’t think of it on my own. I can’t pinpoint just one source that convinced me female puberty was bad for my athletic performance, but the message got through.
In the next paragraphs, I propose a new way of framing puberty for athletes, especially for girls. It’s not revolutionary; I just don’t hear enough people saying it. Female athletes need information that honors their growing bodies and helps make sense of health and athletic performance.
So here we go.
Puberty is a complicated time for adolescent athletes. It’s a time when a child biologically becomes an adult by gaining height, secondary sex characteristics, and the ability to reproduce. For males, secondary sex characteristics include the development of body hair and increased size of the genitals. For females, this includes the development of breast tissue and body hair, as well as starting menstruation.
The changes associated with male puberty often lead to athletic performance improvements, due to increased muscular strength and size (thanks, testosterone). Boys also experience a neuromuscular growth spurt, defined as an increase in power, strength and coordination. While girls gain muscular strength, increased bone thickness, and height, it is of a smaller magnitude compared to boys. A female body also depends on monthly hormonal cascades for optimal health and performance, which are often in flux when a girl first starts her period. Girls also develop increased body fat and a larger pelvic outlet.
Sometimes, athletic performance takes a hit due to these rapid changes, with girls having more obstacles to face during this time.
One of those biggest obstacles is how adults understand and discuss female puberty.
I’ve heard young women’s athletic careers, particularly runners, being discussed as “before” and “after” periods of time. Such comments include, “She needs to set her PRs before she gets hips and slows down,” and “Girls just don’t run as fast as they age.”
It can be tempting to deem male puberty as advantageous to sports performance and female puberty as detrimental. But that’s an oversimplification that does a disservice to female athletes. It’s this kind of black-and-white presentation of athletic performance that convinces young women, consciously and unconsciously, that their mature bodies are not good enough for sport.
Once, when I was getting a physical when I was 18 year old, I had a physician tell me that my athletic performance will peak when I’m 19 years old. I had just signed my letter of intent to run cross country and track at a D1 university.
These comments are rarely said with ill intent, but the impact is significant. When girls repeatedly hear negative comments about female puberty, especially related to sports, they will start to believe that their “little girl” bodies are superior athletically to adult bodies. This can lead to dangerous health crises, like eating disorders, the Female Athlete Triad, and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S). These disorders involve an athlete controlling food and/or underfueling in order to achieve a lean body type and short-term performance advantages. These conditions often delay the affects of puberty, delay or stop menstruation, compromise all aspects of athletic performance, a well as overall health and well-being.
What’s important is knowing how to help girls navigate their changing bodies while maintaining their belief that their bodies are strong and capable.
That’s why adolescent female athletes need encouragement to take a long-view on athletic health.
The possible short term athletic detriments of puberty do not justify vilifying the long term process. Short-term athletic performance should never be prioritized over long-term health.
In fact, puberty can and should be celebrated for all. A mature body, male or female, affords stronger bones, more muscle strength, increased height, better coordination as well as increased emotional and social maturity. These changes build a stronger, more durable, more capable athlete.
This is where the key education comes in: while the growth and development of female puberty are forever, the hits to performance are not. Once girls have time to settle into their new bodies, performance has the ability to improve.
Young women need to be able to have meaningful conversations with the adults in their lives to understand the changes ahead. These conversations are an opportunity to normalize and destigmatize puberty. It’s these conversations that will elevate running culture and provide a safer environment for everyone.
Let’s celebrate the changes, help guide adolescent athletes through short-term struggles, and encourage girls to honor their bodies at all stages of development.
- This article cites research and information presented in: Casey E, Press JM, Rho M. The Young Athlete. In: Sex Differences in Sports Medicine. New York, NY: Demos Medical Publishing; 2016:209-226.
Katie Noble is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a journalist, and a runner. She enjoys empowering and supporting female runners with evidenced-based education.
Dr. Katie Noble, PT, DPT, SCS 