BLOG
PUBERTY TO MANHOOD
ONLINE CONSULTATION
If you need a more personal approach I’m just a phone call away.
Meet Sally!
In this video Sally will give you an introduction to the blog about puberty and manhood.
Puberty - the time of more
Wet dreams
Did you know …
- Puberty doesn’t happen overnight.
- It’s a years-long process involving various physical and hormonal changes — all of which can be uncomfortable to go through
- Puberty prepares a boy’s body and mindset for manhood
- Puberty in boys usually begins between the ages of 9 and 12 and lasts for several years.
- Because there’s such a wide age range, it’s common for two boys of the same age to look really different – one still like a little kid, and the other more like a young adult.
- The changes are caused by hormones
- The main hormones responsible for changes are
– Testosterone
– Estrogen
- These changes can be exciting, confusing, awkward and wonderful.
- Puberty can be thought of as ‘the time of more’
- More
– Penis, testicles and scrotum tissue
– Muscle
– Hair – armpits, pubes, arms, legs, chest and face
– Lubricants, like sweat, semen and of course the wet dreams
– Smells and odours
– Oiliness – pimples and acne
– Voice – deeper
– Opinions and attitude
– Etc.
- Manhood aka the state of being a man ie expressing the distinguishing character or qualities of a man
- Biologically manhood has life stages divided into
– Infancy
– Puberty (adolescence)
– Sexual maturation (reproductive age)
- The Stages of Manhood
– Boyhood – figuring out how the world works
– The Cowboy – the unfinished man is looking for his own way in life
– The Warrior – he wants to get things done
– The Lover – realizing the small things in life and what he can bring to others. Looking for a girl to add value to her life.
– The King – earning the fruits of his labour. He can teach other men how to be Warriors and can help them learn how to attract others that they want to attract.
– The Sage – their wisdom helps builds Kings
- Confucius said
– at 15 men set their heart on learning
– at 30 men find their balance
– at 40 men free themselves from doubt
– at 50 men sense what heaven intends them to do
– at 60 men are attuned to what they have heard
– at 70 men can follow with their heart what their heart desires without overstepping the line.
Male puberty 101
- Known as the Tanner stages or, more appropriately, sexual maturity ratings (SMRs).
- They serve as a general guide to physical development, although each person has a different puberty timetable.
Tanner stage 1
- Typically starts after a boys 9th or 10th birthday
- Describes what happens before any physical signs of puberty appear.
- Internal changes, which are the same for males and females.
– The brain begins to send signals to the body to prepare for changes.
– The hypothalamus begins to release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to the pituitary gland,
– The pituitary gland begins to produce luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
- Physical changes aren’t noticeable at this stage.
Tanner stage 2
- Puberty usually starts around age 11
- Marks the beginning of physical development.
- Hormones begin to send signals throughout the body.
- The testicles and skin around the testicles (scrotum) begin to get bigger.
- Early stages of pubic hair form on the base of the penis.
Tanner stage 3
- Usually start around age 13
- Physical changes are becoming more obvious
- A growth spurt in height is also seen
- Penis gets longer and testicles continue to grow bigger.
- Some breast tissue may start to form under the nipples (this happens to some teenage males during development and usually goes away within a couple of years).
- Wet dreams may begin
- The voice begins to change, it may “crack,” going from high to lower pitches.
- Muscles get larger.
- Height growth increases to 2 to 3.2 inches per year.
Tanner stage 4
- Usually starts around age 14
- Puberty is in full swing and there are many changes.
- Testicles, penis, and scrotum continue to get bigger, and the scrotum will get darker in colour
- Armpit hair starts to grow
- Deeper voice becomes permanent
- Acne may start to appear
Tanner stage 5
- Professor James M. Tanner, a child development expert, was the first to identify the visible stages of puberty.
- Usually starts around age 15
- Marks the culmination of teen’s development
- In this final phase full physical maturation is reached, including the final adult height.
- Penis, testicles, and scrotum reach adult size
- Pubic hair has filled in and spread to the inner thighs
- Facial hair will start coming in and shaving begins
- Growth in height will slow down, but muscles may still be growing.
- By age 18, most males have reached full growth.
Tanner Puberty Stages Overview
Stage 1
- After the 9th or 10th birthday
– No physical changes
Stage 2
- Around age 11
– Pubic hair starts to form
Stage 3
- Around age 13
– Voice begins to change or “crack”; muscles get larger
Stage 4
- Around age 14
– Acne may appear; armpit hair forms
Stage 5
- Around age 15
– Facial hair comes in.
Male Puberty – The Time of More
- Penis, testicles and scrotum tissue
- Muscle
- Hair – armpits, pubes, arms, legs, chest and face
- Lubricants, like sweat, semen and of course the wet dreams
- Smells and odours
- Oiliness – pimples and acne
- Voice – deeper
- Opinions and attitude.
Male parts 101
- The male reproductive system contains
– the external genitals – the penis, testes and the scrotum
– the internal parts – the prostate gland, vas deferens and urethra.
- A man’s fertility and sexual traits depend on the normal functioning of the male reproductive system, as well as hormones released from the brain.
Organs and functions
Penis
- The organ used for urination and sexual intercourse.
- It has spongy tissue which can fill with blood to cause an erection.
- It contains the urethra, which carries both urine and semen.
Scrotum
- A loose bag of skin that hangs outside the body, behind the penis.
- It holds the testes in place.
Testes (or testicles)
- A pair of egg-shaped glands that sit in the scrotum, on the outside of the body.
- They produce sperm and testosterone
Epididymis
- A highly coiled tube that lies at the back of the testes.
- All sperm from the testes must pass through the epididymis, where they mature and start to ‘swim’.
Vas deferens
- A thick-walled tube joined to the epididymis.
- It carries sperm from the epididymis up to the prostate gland and urethra.
Prostate gland
- Is a walnut-sized gland that sits in the middle of the pelvis.
- The urethra runs through the middle of it.
- It produces the fluid secretions that support and nourish the sperm.
Urethra
- A tube that extends from the bladder to the external opening at the end of the penis.
- The urethra carries both urine and sperm.
Seminal vesicles
- 2 small glands above the prostate gland that make up most of the fluid in semen
The Brain
- Controls the release of sex hormones
- FSH
– Stimulates the production of sperm
– Levels in men do not change very much
- LH
– Stimulates the production of testosterone from the Leydig cells in the testes.
Male Parts – What can go wrong?
- As with any other part of the human body, things can sometimes go wrong with the male reproductive system, including:
– Infertility
– Difficulty urinating
– Prostate disease
– Erectile dysfunction / impotence, the inability to get a satisfactory erection
– Loss of libido / low sex drive
– Hormone deficiency
– Testicular cancer.
From Flaccid to Erect – The Physiology of Erections
- The penile erection results from complex, central and peripheral neurovascular mechanisms, together with psychological and hormonal factors
- The balance between these factors is what eventually determines the functionality of the penis.
- At baseline the penis is in a flaccid state which is maintained by the contraction of smooth muscles and constriction of penal arteries
- During sexual arousal, induced through erotic visual stimuli and or thoughts smooth muscle relaxes and vasodilation occurs
- This results in blood flowing into the penis increasing intracorporal pressure as high as >100 mm Hg during full erection
- The main area of control is the Hypothalamus
- Dopamine is the most important brain neurotransmitter for sexual arousal and motivation and for sexual performance aka erection
- Serotonin and Oxytocin also play roles
- Nitric Oxide is involved in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation
- Noradrenaline is important for the opposite as it is involved in the ‘deflating’ process, this is why chronic stress increases erectile dysfunction
Erectile Tips
De-stress
- Be mindful
- Spend time outside
- Practice healthy sleep habits
- Have more fun
Support Dopamine production
Sperm Production 101
- A man’s reproductive system is specifically designed to produce, store, and transport sperm.
- Unlike the female genitalia, the male reproductive organs are on both the interior and the exterior of the pelvic cavity.
– the penis
– the testes (testicles)
– the sperm duct system – epididymis and vas deferens
– the accessory glands – seminal vesicles and prostate gland
- Sperm production occurs in the testicles and is instigated by FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone produced in the Pituitary (the same hormone that is used in female ovaries to get an egg ready).
- Upon reaching puberty, a man will produce millions of sperm cells every day
- Sperm cells measure approx. 0.002 inches (0.05 mm) long.
- In the testicles there is a system of tiny tubes called the seminiferous tubules
- These tubules house the germ cells that hormones like testosterone turn into sperm.
- The germ cells divide and change until they resemble tadpoles with a head and short tail.
- The tails push the sperm into the epididymis.
- For about five weeks, the sperm travel through the epididymis, completing their development.
- Once out of the epididymis, the sperm move to the vas deferens on their way to the prostate gland.
- When a man is sexually stimulated, the sperm are mixed with seminal fluid
- Seminal fluid is a whitish liquid produced by the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland to form semen.
- As a result of the stimulation, the semen, which contains up to 500 million sperm, is pushed out of the penis (ejaculated) through the urethra.
- The process of going from a germ cell to a mature sperm cell capable of egg fertilization takes around 2.5 months / 74 days.
Ejaculation 101
- Orgasm and ejaculation are two separate physiological processes.
- Orgasm is an intense transient peak sensation of intense pleasure creating an altered state of consciousness
- Ejaculation is a complex physiological process heavily controlled by the autonomic nervous system
- Consisting of two main phases:
– emission
– expulsion.
- The main organs involved in ejaculation are the:
– distal epididymis
– vas deferens
– seminal vesicle
– prostate
– prostatic urethra
– bladder neck
The physiology of Ejaculation
Emission
- Closure of bladder neck prevents retrograde spillage of the seminal fluid into the bladder.
- Ejection of the acidic prostate secretions into the prostatic urethra.
- Fructose-containing seminal vesicle fluid alkalinizes the final ejaculatory fluid.
- The seminal vesicle fluid constitutes 75%–80% of the seminal fluid.
- The organs involved in the ejaculation process receive both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve stimulation.
- Noradrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system play the predominant role in the ejaculation process.
Expulsion
- The process of ejaculation climaxes, and refers to the ejection of semen through the urethra
- The semen is propelled through the rhythmic contractions of pelvic and prostate muscles
- What initiates expulsion is still unknown
– maybe initiated when nerve activation threshold level is met.
Thought to be Good For
- sleep
- sperm quality
- immune system
- migraine symptoms
- reducing the risk of death from heart disease
- reducing the risk for prostate cancer.
Wet Dreams 101
- Scientific name: nocturnal emissions
- Also known as sleep orgasms
- Are entirely normal, natural, and healthy part of puberty and typically occur during REM sleep
- REM sleep rapid eye movement – dreamland
- During REM sleep all voluntary movement is impossible ie you’re paralysed – only eyes are moving and blood flow is increased throughout the body including the genitals, making them more sensitive.
- Wet dreams are spontaneous orgasmic sensations which occur without manual stimulation from sexual activity
- In other words a wet dream is when you ejaculate or secrete vaginal fluids during sleep
- Most people have them and they’re a perfectly healthy part of sleep.
- Naming it a wet dream implies its related to a sexy dream, where in reality they can happen without a clear cause.
- However research has found that, on average, 8 percent of dreams have some sexual content
- You may wake up during a wet dream or sleep through it and only realize you had one when you wake up feeling wet down below
- Most common in teenage boys going through puberty, but all sexes and genders can experience sexual responses during sleep
- A common myth is that wet dreams are a sign of youth, while they are more infrequent as you get older they can still happen
- The reason why they are less frequent is not clear
– maybe hormone levels aren’t out of control as in puberty
– maybe being more sexually active as an adult
- However it’s still an area of unknowns
- Not everyone will have a wet dream – some may have a few, while others may have a lot
- NB! sleep orgasms, like all other orgasms, are super individual, there’s no right or wrong way to have one — or maybe 2 or 3 or 4.
WANT MORE?
CHECK OUT THE OTHER BLOGS ABOUT MALE HEALTH & HORMONES
ONLINE CONSULTATION
If you need a more personal approach I’m just a phone call away.
Questions? Please don't hesitate to contact me
