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Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads : the ovaries in a female, the testicles in a male.
[20] [21] Puberty which starts earlier than usual is known as precocious puberty, and puberty which starts later than usual is known as delayed puberty. Notable among the morphologic changes in size, shape, composition, and functioning of the pubertal body, is the development of secondary sex characteristics , the "filling in" of the child's ...
Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce.In humans, it is related to both puberty and adulthood. [1] Puberty is the biological process of sexual maturation, while adulthood, the condition of being socially recognized as an independent person capable of giving consent and taking responsibility, generally implies sexual maturity (certain disorders of sexual development ...
Puberty typically begins during preadolescence, particularly in females. [4] [5] Physical growth (particularly in males) and cognitive development can extend past the teens. Age provides only a rough marker of adolescence, and scholars have not agreed upon a precise definition.
Puberty is considered delayed when the child has not begun puberty when two standard deviations or about 95% of children from similar backgrounds have. [7] [8] [9]In North American girls, puberty is considered delayed when breast development has not begun by age 13, when they have not started menstruating by age 15, [2] and when there is no increased growth rate. [8]
Starting puberty significantly early — younger than age 8 in girls, 9 in boys — may have health effects lasting into adulthood, including higher risks of breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Additionally, puberty blockers can be prescribed for children with severe forms of idiopathic short stature, allowing for more time for growth before the closure of growth plates. [ 47 ] In the USA, since 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) has supported the use of puberty blockers to treat precocious puberty. [ 48 ]
At 11 years old, I confided in my mom that I thought I was dying as I had two identical tumors forming on my chest. There was no judgment—or really any kind of reaction—for my mom’s part.