Families looking for guidance on navigating puberty with their children will have an opportunity to learn from medical professionals later this month. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will host its Girlology and Guyology puberty education sessions on April 26 in Little Rock.
The programs are designed to help young people understand the physical and emotional changes that come with growing up while also giving parents tools to start and continue important conversations at home.
The Guyology session will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the 12th floor auditorium of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute. The program is designed for boys ages 9 to 13 and requires that each child attend with a parent or caregiver.
Later that afternoon, Girlology will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the same location. The session is open to girls ages 8 to 14, also accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
According to Dr. Nirvana Manning, professor and chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the goal of the programs is to make conversations about puberty easier for families.
Many parents find it difficult to talk about puberty with their children, Manning said. These programs are meant to create a safe environment where families can learn together while hearing medically accurate information directly from physicians.
During the Guyology session, boys and their caregivers will learn about topics such as growth and development, hygiene and body hair, health and nutrition, moods and emotions, internet safety and curiosity, and an introduction to girls’ puberty.
The program will be taught by Dr. Timothy Langford, professor and chair of the UAMS Department of Urology, and Dr. Ashay Patel, an associate professor of urology in the UAMS Department of Pediatrics who treats patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Manning said families have been requesting a program like Guyology since Girlology sessions began at UAMS.
Since we started offering Girlology, parents have asked whether we could create a similar experience for boys, Manning said. She added that the program became possible through collaboration with colleagues in the departments of Urology and Pediatrics.
Girlology will cover topics that help girls better understand the changes they may experience during puberty. The session includes discussions about growth and development, bras and bra shopping, hygiene and hair care, nutrition, menstruation and menstrual hygiene, respect for self and others, moods and emotions, and internet safety.
Along with Manning, the Girlology program will be taught by physicians from the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, including Dr. Laura Hollenbach, an associate professor, and Dr. Kathryn Stambough, an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology who also sees patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
The cost to attend either program is thirty dollars, though scholarships are available for families who need assistance.
UAMS first introduced Girlology in Arkansas in August 2022. About 220 girls and their accompanying adults attended the first session. Since then, the program has continued to grow, with more than 1,800 families participating in additional sessions.
Both Girlology and Guyology are part of a broader digital health platform that offers physician led educational resources for young people and their caregivers, including videos, online tools, and live events.
UAMS is Arkansas’ only health sciences university and includes colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions, and Public Health, along with a graduate school and hospital system. Its main campus is located in Little Rock, with a regional campus in Fayetteville and a statewide network of regional sites.
The university also operates eight major institutes, including the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute.
Families interested in attending the April sessions can find more information or register at uamshealth.com/uams-puberty-education.