Everything you wanted to know about puberty...for girls

Duration: 13

Year Published: 1991

Creator: Coronet/MTI

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: Two girls approaching puberty learn about issues of physical, sexual and emotional development with the help of an older sister and a helpful library book. During an overnight stay at Katie's house, 11-year-old Jessica wakes her friend to tell her that she has gotten her first period. Trying to find a sanitary napkin in the bathroom, the girls are surprised by Katie's older sister Lisa who gives them a mini-lesson on sanitary napkin and tampon placement, usage and disposal. The next day, the girls accompany Lisa to the drugstore. While shopping for school supplies, Lisa dispenses practical information regarding puberty, personal hygiene and the causes of acne. At the library, Katie and Jessie locate a book on puberty and return to Katie's home to pour over the text. They read about body changes and the stages in breast development. Diagrams of girl-to-woman development, including external genitalia and internal reproductive organs, help clarify the female reproductive system. Animation illustrates how puberty starts and how hormones are linked to developing breasts, pubic hair growth and even emotional fluctuations. A detailed look at the ovaries and the release of an ovum leads to another animated segment showing the menstrual cycle phases with the unfertilized egg traveling into the uterus. Charts also help explain normal variations in menstrual regularity, duration and flow. As Katie and Jessica wind up their day of discovery, they discuss their ambivalent feelings about growing up.