Wow what’s that? When did that happen? Should that be happening? Is that normal?

Are you growing in all directions, sprouting hair, moods all over the place, getting spotty, parents driving you nuts, cant get out of bed?

Well that’s normal. It’s called puberty and adolescence.

Puberty is the starting point when girls and boys begin to grow into women and men, and it usually starts at high school.

It becomes adolescence when you reach the half way mark usually in your early teens, when you are clearly no longer a child but not quite an adult - which can obviously be very difficult and frustrating.

During this time you will experience some of the biggest biological, psychological and social changes in your life - as well as high school!

So what can you expect?

Puberty starts on average at 12 to 14 for girls, although some may start earlier, and 13 to 15 for boys. For both it’s the start of growing up, literally in terms of height, but also in terms of sexual maturity.

At puberty, the brain and pituitary gland release hormones that regulate the reproductive organs of both males and females.

In girls, these hormones stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs plus other hormones called oestrogen and progesterone which accelerate growth of the womb and breasts and the distribution of body fat that creates the female shape.

In boys they stimulate the testes to produce sperm and testosterone, the hormone that changes male body shape and kicks off hair growth.

Huge amounts of growth hormones are also produced, so arms and legs get longer and internal body organs get larger. Some people can grow up to four inches in one year, which is known as a growth spurt.

When this growth period is over you will be at your adult height. How tall you will be usually depends on how tall your parents are, you are more likely to be tall if they are, but it also depends on your own hormones and how healthily you eat - good nutrition helps growth.

Girls usually become curvier during this time, they tend to gain weight and their hips and breasts develop. A year or two later they will experience their first period.

Boys will put on muscle and see their shoulders broaden, and their genitals will develop and darken. The larynx lengthens and the voice breaks, becoming deeper.

Spontaneous erections start to occur along with night time emissions of sperm, known as wet dreams, which are another sign of sexual maturity.

As puberty progresses girls and boys will both grow hair under their arms and in the pubic area, and boys begin to grow hair on their faces.

The hormones that are responsible for these amazing changes also have some less welcome effects. They cause the dreaded acne, although the good news is that it generally clears up around 16. They also affect the glands under your arms that produce sweat and cause body odour.

But the biggest effect is probably on your emotions as an adolescent. You are likely to experience wide ranging and constantly changing emotions.