1.75. Puberty and Adolescence http://www.ck12.org
The first signs of puberty appear at different times for different people. A boy might realize he’s reached puberty
when he starts needing to shave. A girl, on the other hand, starts getting her menstrual period during puberty.
Puberty and Adolescence
Pubertyis the stage of life when a child becomes sexually mature. Puberty lasts from about 12 to 18 years of age in
boys and from about 10 to 16 years of age in girls.
The age when puberty begins is different from one child to another. Children that begin puberty much earlier or later
than their peers may feel self-conscious. They may also worry that something is wrong with them. Usually, an early
or late puberty is perfectly normal.
In boys, puberty begins when the pituitary gland tells the testes to secrete testosterone. Testosterone causes the
following to happen:
- The penis and testes grow.
- The testes start making sperm.
- Pubic and facial hair grow.
- The shoulders broaden, and the voice becomes deeper.
In girls, puberty begins when the pituitary gland tells the ovaries to secrete estrogen. Estrogen causes the following
to happen:
- The uterus and ovaries grow.
- The ovaries start releasing eggs.
- The menstrual cycle begins.
- Pubic hair grows.
- The hips widen, and the breasts develop.
Boys and girls are close to the same height during childhood. In both boys and girls, growth in height and weight
is very fast during puberty. But boys grow faster than girls during puberty. Their period of fast growth also lasts
longer. By the end of puberty, boys are an average of 10 centimeters taller than girls.
Adolescence
Adolescenceis the period of life between the start of puberty and the beginning of adulthood. Adolescence includes
the physical changes of puberty. It also includes many other changes. During adolescence:
- Teens develop new thinking abilities. For example, they can think about abstract ideas, such as freedom. They
are also better at thinking logically. They are usually better at solving problems as well. - Teens try to establish a sense of who they are as individuals. They may try to become more independent from
their parents. Most teens also have emotional ups and downs. This is partly due to changing hormone levels. - Teens usually spend much more time with peers than with family members (Figure1.139).
Vocabulary
- adolescence: Period of life between the start of puberty and the beginning of adulthood during which signifi-
cant physical, mental, emotional, and social changes occur. - puberty: Stage of life during which a child becomes sexually mature.