Your genitals also change during puberty.
The hormones estrogen (E) and testosterone (T) can help genitals grow and help them keep healthy throughout your life. This often mean growing larger/more adult-like genitals: the labia, the vulva (the outside area including the labia), the vagina (a canal/tunnel inside the body), the clitoris, and the penis, balls (aka testicles) and ball sack (aka scrotum.)
Vaginas
The vagina is a tube-like muscle between the urethra (where urine comes out) and the anus.
Don’t confuse the vagina (the inside part of the muscle) with the vulva—the area around the vagina that you can see from the outside. Many people use the name vagina incorrectly when they mean the vulva.
Some girls with a Y chromosome may have a vagina on the smaller side meaning it has less depth or width; some with a Y chromosome may have more depth and space. It all depends on your body. Generally, the labia and vulva region become fuller during puberty and often become darker in colour. Vaginas are also very stretchy and over time they can gain more depth and width.
Penis & Clitoris
How the clitoris and penis change depends on how much T the body has and if the body can react to it.
If the body responds a lot to T and you have lots of T in your body, your clitoris might grow. This is the same for penises—If your body responds to T and has lots of it made from gonads or from hormones, the penis will usually become larger during puberty.
Differences in the penis, testes, and the genital area can happen for many different reasons. No two people have exactly the same genitals. Genitals can look very different and still be perfectly healthy.
Click here for a great illustration of the penis/clitoris and genital area.
Here are some other parts of the genitals to undertand:
Foreskin
This is a sleeve of skin that loosely surrounds the tip (or ‘head’) of the penis. Some males have it, some don’t (either because they are circumcised or because have gone through surgery early on).
The balls & ball sack (a.k.a the testicles & scrotum)
At the base of the penis, you might see or feel a scrotum or ball sack—it’s kind of like a sack that holds the testes. Some males have balls that aren’t actually in the ball sack. People may call these undescended testes.
So, most males have two balls, some have only one, and some don’t have any – it all depends on how your body grows and what has happened within your body.
You can find more information here. Ask your parents and doctor more, if you’re interested in understanding more or have questions.
Urethra (a.k.a. the pee tube)
In most males, the urethra ends at the very tip of their penis; in others, it has developed a little bit lower down, or even at the base of the penis (these differences are often called ‘hypospadias’). Sometimes, the penis is formed straight, and others may have a bend.
The opening to the urethra can be in different places in girls, too. It may be between the clitoris and the vagina (meaning there are a total of three holes—the urethra, the vagina, and the anus).
In other cases, the urethra and vagina can also be joined on the inside. This is called a urogenital sinus (UG sinus). This means there are only two visible entry-points to your lower body on the outside—the urogenital sinus and the anus. The urethra and the vagina are still there, but you cannot see them separately because they are further inside your body.
For more information on genitals and on specific conditions, please take a look at the section Your Puberty.