Puberty Health Dictionary

The period when secondary sexual characteristics develop and the sexual organs mature. Puberty usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 15.

(See also precocious puberty.)

The change that takes place when childhood passes into manhood or womanhood. This change is generally a very de?nite one, occurring at about the age of 14 years, although it is modi?ed by race, climate, and bodily health so that it may appear a year or two earlier or several years later. At this time, the sexual functions attain their full development; the contour of the body changes from a childish to a more rounded womanly, or sturdy manly, form; and great changes take place in the mode of thought and feeling.

In girls, puberty is marked by the onset of MENSTRUATION and development of the BREASTS. The latter is usually the ?rst sign of puberty to appear, and may occur from nine years onwards; most girls show signs of breast development by the age of 13. The time from the beginning of breast development to the onset of menstruation is usually around two years but may range from six months to ?ve years. The ?rst sign of puberty in boys is an increase in testicular and penile size (see TESTICLE; PENIS) between the age of ten and 14. The LARYNX enlarges in boys, so that the voice – after going through a period of ‘breaking’ – ?nally assumes the deep manly pitch. Hair appears on the pubis and later in the armpits in both boys and girls, whilst in the former it also begins to grow on the upper lip, and skin eruptions are not uncommon on the face (see ACNE).

The period is one of transition from a physical and mental point of view. Puberty is not to be regarded as a physiological ‘coming of age’, for full development is usually achieved in the early 20s.

n. the time at which the onset of sexual maturity occurs and the reproductive organs become functional (see gonadarche). This is manifested in both sexes by the appearance of *secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. deepening of the voice in boys; growth of breasts in girls) and in girls by the start of *menstruation. These changes are brought about by an increase in sex hormone activity due to stimulation of the ovaries and testes by pituitary hormones. See also adrenarche; androgen; oestrogen; precocious puberty. —pubertal adj.