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MORE PUBERTY INFORMATION FOR BOYS
Circumcision
Erections
Masturbation
Ejaculation
Muscles and Strength
Voice Changes
Breasts
Circumcision
Circumcision is an operation to cut away the foreskin. In the Jewish, Muslim and other faiths, it is a religious custom to circumcise baby boys. In some African cultures, it is a test of manhood to remove an adult’s foreskin during an initiation ceremony. Although a circumcised penis looks different from an uncircumcised one, both work in the same way and equally well too.
If you are not circumcised, you must gently roll back the foreskin and wash away the sticky white substance called smegma. Smegma is a lubricant so the foreskin can move. If it is not washed away, it can become smelly and cause an infection.
Erections
When your penis is soft, blood flows inside it. When your penis gets hard, muscles at its base tighten and trap blood inside. Your penis stands out from your body and gets darker, wider and harder. This is called an erection, or more commonly a hard-on. Your penis may stay erect for seconds, minutes or even half an hour. You might be afraid it will break, because it is so hard. It can’t. After a while, your muscles relax and your penis softens.
From the time you were an infant, you had erections. They happen when you make up in the morning, when you have to urinate, or when you feel anxious or frightened. During puberty, you might find that you have erections more often. Some will happen for no reason whatsoever, and other will happen because you are daydreaming about something sexual. It happens to all boys. It can be embarrassing to have an erection, especially if you are standing in front of a class or walking along the road. Try to ignore the erection and it will go away on its own within a few minutes.
Masturbation
Men and boys sometimes rub their penises quickly back and forth to give themselves an orgasm, because it gives them a pleasurable feeling. This is called masturbation, or more commonly, jerking off. Many people masturbate, and many don’t. Both boys and girls masturbate. You may decide not to masturbate because of your religious or cultural beliefs. It’s okay if you masturbate and it’s okay if you don’t. Contrary to what you might have heard, masturbation does not hurt your penis or testicles, cause you to use up all your sperm, or cause mental illness or any other bodily harm.
Ejaculation
When you ejaculate, a white sticky fluid called semen spurts out of your penis during orgasm. This is commonly called coming and the white stuff— the ejaculate— cum. When you start ejaculating, you know you are producing sperm in your testicles. It means you can make someone pregnant.
Just before ejaculation, your sperm mixes with fluids to become semen. Your bladder closes off so no urine can come out. The semen moves along the urethra and out your penis. After a few minutes or up to half an hour, your penis relaxes and gets soft. You may be able to have another ejaculation within a few minutes or half an hour, and it may take hours or even a day. As men get older, there is a longer time before another ejaculation is possible.
You may not realize the first time you ejaculate because it may happen at night when you are fast asleep. You will wake up to find a white sticky fluid in your bed and on your body. A boy who doesn’t know what’s happening might think he has wet his bed during the night. But the fluid is semen and not urine and what you’ve had is called a wet dream. You might remember having a sexy dream during the night, though many boys don’t remember their dreams at all. Wet dreams are a part of growing up. There is no way to stop wet dreams. Your body keeps making sperm, and this is one of the ways your body gets rid of it.
If you have an erection for a long time without ejaculating, you may have a sore, aching feeling around your testicles and groin. This lasts only a while and is not harmful in any way.
Some boys try to stop ejaculation by closing the opening in their penis with a finger or cloth. The semen goes back up through the urethra and may clog in the tube that leads to the bladder. When this happens, there might be pain in the penis and cloudy urine. The problem may go away on its own, but you may get an infection and need to see a doctor for medication. This can be prevented by allowing the semen to come out your penis when you ejaculate.
Muscles and Strength
When you were born, one-fifth of your body was muscle. At the beginning of puberty, your body was one-quarter muscle. It will be about half muscle by the time you’re an adult. Muscles allow your body to move. They are made of long, thin cylinders called fibers. You are born with all the muscle fiber your will ever have. Boys are born with more muscles than girls. As your bones grow longer, so does your muscle fiber, which gets longer and thicker. During puberty, your muscles thicken quickly and noticeably too because of the hormone testosterone in your bloodstream. Your muscle strength depends on how thick your muscle fiber becomes. You can increase the size and strength of your muscles by exercising and weight-lifting, but there is a limit to how thick your muscles can grow.
A Note About Steroids
Steroid is artificial testosterone and is given only for special medical reasons. Steroids make muscles bigger and stronger, but have dangerous side effects, especially for adolescent boys. They can make a boy dangerously aggressive, make him bald and increase his body hair. They can also stunt growth, cause diabetes and make a boy sterile. Adolescent boys should never use steroids to increase their muscle size or strength.
Voice Changes
Your voice box, the larynx, grows during puberty. You will notice your Adam’s apple sticking out more in the middle of your neck. As your larynx and the muscles inside become thicker and longer, your voice deepens. Sometimes, a boy’s voice changes smoothly and gradually during puberty. Many boys find their voices “crack” during this time. One moment, you have a deep voice, and the next, you have a high, squeaky voice. This can be embarrassing, especially if it happens while you’re making a speech or public presentation. But never mind, your voice will even out as your larynx matures.
Breasts
Although girls have the most noticeable breast development during puberty, boys’ breasts change as well. Your areola—the area around your nipple— becomes wider and darker, and your nipple gets larger. You may notice your chest is tender and there are small bumps or swelling. More than half of boys going through puberty notice some swelling. You are not growing breasts! This is a common part of puberty and can last for a year or more. If the swelling does not disappear after that time, you may need to talk to your doctor.
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