The age at which a child becomes fertile can vary greatly from one individual to the next. It is possible, if not common, for a girl to begin menstruating as young as the age of nine or ten, although the twelve to thirteen age range is much more common. Once a girl begins to menstruate, she is fertile and could become pregnant.

It is important to note that it is possible for a girl to be fertile before she begins having her period, however. Sometimes, a teen or even an adult woman can ovulate without actually experiencing a period. There are many things that can cause this to happen, and while it is rare, it is not entirely unheard of. This is particularly common in women who are very athletic and active. If this should happen, it would be possible for a teen to get pregnant before starting their menstrual cycle. Theoretically, a teen could actually ovulate for several months before she would have a menstrual period.

Fertility for boys is more difficult to detect. There is no major event, such as starting menstruation, that boys go through that says, definitively, that they are fertile and could conceive a child. Boys bodies do change in certain ways, however, that should be able to give the signal that they are fertile. Their voices begin to deepen. They might start to grow facial hair and pubic hair. It is very common for boys to have nocturnal emissions. While these things tend to happen between the ages of twelve and fourteen for boys, it is here again possible that they could be fertile long before this age.

Keeping children informed about what exactly is happening to their bodies during puberty is an important part of a parent’s job. If you have a child and are concerned that he or she may be fertile, yet you don’t know how or are afraid to talk to him or her about sex and becoming pregnant, your health care provider may be able to help you explain these issues and discuss these things with your teen.

Posted in Parenting

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