This question was submitted to Kids Help Phone by a young person and answered by one of our professional counsellors.
Question
I am 11 yrs old, and some of the girls my age have started puberty. I have a few questions. 1-I have noticed pubic hair on my vagina…..what do I do? 2-Sometimes I see wet or white stuff on my underwear…what is this? 3-Can I wear a bra without telling my mom? Please answer to all of them. I need to know!
Answer
Oooh, this is so exciting!! These are all very good questions. Here we go!! 1. You don’t have to do anything about the pubic hair on your vulva. This is totally natural and it happens to everyone. You can try to watch it grow but it grows pretty slowly so watching it might be really boring. It won’t be long before you start to grow hair on your underarms, your breasts will start to grow and you’ll start your period. This means that you’re moving into adulthood/puberty!! 2. The white stuff on your underwear is called vaginal discharge. This is also very natural and common. It’s just your bodily fluids flushing out of your system. It’s a healthy thing… and it’s another sign that it won’t be long before your period comes. 3. It sounds like you want to keep this from your mom… how do you think your mom will react if you talk to her about wearing a bra? After all, this happens to most young girls and she’ll probably be expecting it to happen at some point soon. Are you feeling ready to wear a bra? Do you feel like you need one yet? The thing about wearing a bra is that you really need to get fitted for one in the store. Just because every girl’s or woman’s breasts are different and it helps to try on different sizes to see which ones fit best. Just like trying on a dress or a pair of pants. I hope this helps!! I hope you enjoy your growing!! Take care.
