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Adolescence and Puberty are two interlinked terms that describe a period of human life where the body undergoes poignant changes after which the said person becomes biologically capable of reproduction. These changes happen due to the role played by different hormones and turn a child into an adult. This stage of life is marked by several characteristics like a noticeable spurt in growth, facial hair in boys and subcutaneous body fat mass etc. The time of onset and duration of Puberty is not constant rather it varies from person to person which means every single person might have different experiences but the changes that bring a person to maturity are more or less the same across the same sex.
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Key Terms: Adolescence, Puberty, Human Body, Teenagers, Reproduction, Sex, Secondary Sexual Characteristics, Male, Female, Menstruation
What is Adolescence?
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Adolescence comes from the Latin word ‘adolescere’ which means ‘to mature’ and it refers to the period of transition wherein a human being experiences psychological and physical changes in their body that occurs in a period associated with teenage years but the onset of Adolescence can be earlier than that and the end of Adolescence maybe later than that.
There are three stages of Adolescence:
- Early Adolescence (10-13 years of age)
- Middle Adolescence (14-17 years of age)
- Later Adolescence (18-21 years of age)
Adolescence
Also Read: Difference Between Adolescence and Puberty
What is Puberty?
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Puberty is the onset of changes in the human body that it undergoes during the period of Adolescence. So, Puberty denotes that stage of Human life where a person becomes sexually mature and these changes continue to happen for four years after which the body of a person alters to become the body of a fully mature person. The anatomical changes caused by puberty are permanent because they generally help a human being to reproduce.
For Girls, puberty begins between 10-14 years of age while for boys, puberty begins between 12-16 years of age.
Puberty
Secondary Sexual Characteristics
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These are bodily changes influenced by hormonal fluctuations that a human body undergoes during Puberty. It’s to be noted that these changes aren’t directly involved in the process of sexual reproduction but certainly decide an individual’s capability to reproduce. These changes are faster in girls and help in the distinction of boys from girls. For example, the pimples and acne problem faced by adolescents is due to the development of Sebaceous (oil) glands under their skin.
Secondary Sexual Characteristics
1. Secondary Sexual Characteristics in Male
The secondary sexual characteristics in Males takes place under the influence of the Hormone called Testosterone and due to its increased secretion following changes take place:
- The Adam’s Apple becomes large.
- There is growth of hair in the chest area, pubic area, under the armpits and face.
- Development of Heavier Muscular Body, Narrow Hips and Wide shoulders.
- The voice box (Larynx) becomes larger causing boys to have a deeper tone (low pitch) of voice.
- The testis mature and the production of sperms begins
- The secretion of growth hormone causes an increase in height. Boys start growing later girls but generally, they grow taller than girls by the end of Puberty.
Adam’s Apple
2. Secondary Sexual Characteristics in Female
The secondary sexual characteristics in Females takes place under the influence of the Hormone called Oestrogen/Estrogen and due to its increased secretion following changes take place:
- The mammary gland enlarges in women i.e., females begin developing breasts and it grows bigger as they move further into Puberty and this growth stops by the end of puberty.
- The hips become more rounded.
- There is hair growth in the pubic area and under armpits. Women don’t grow facial hair because the hormone responsible for this i.e., testosterone is largely absent in women.
- Growth Hormone secretion causes girls to grow in height. Since the onset of puberty is earlier in girls, they tend to be taller than boys their age during the initial years of puberty but the average increase in height is less compared to boys.
- The Menstrual Cycle starts at Puberty i.e., there is blood discharge from the vagina roughly after every 28 days and this can last anywhere between 5-7 days.
- Mature ovaries start to release mature ovum and its ovulation. These matured ova when fertilized by sperms form the Zygote which then grows to be a baby.
Menstrual Cycle
Things to Remember
- Adolescence is a transitional time period wherein the human body transitions from that of a child to a mature adult.
- Puberty is the process depicted by a range of physical and psychological changes that the human body goes through in order to attain sexual maturity i.e., be capable of reproduction.
- Secondary sexual characteristics are the dimorphic changes in the human body that occur during Puberty and aren’t directly involved in reproduction.
- The age of adolescence or the process of puberty runs through the teenage years of a person in most cases i.e., 13-19 years.
- The adolescent characteristics of Males are – facial hair, muscular upper body, deeper tone of voice etc.
- The adolescent characteristics of females are – development of breasts, the start of the menstrual cycle, rounded hips etc.
Also Read:
| Related Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phases of Menstrual Cycle and Menstrual Hormones | Gonads | Estrogen Hormone |
| Sexual and Asexual Reproduction | Adolescence and Drug Abuse | Male and Female Reproductive Organs |
Sample Questions
Ques. What is the difference between Adolescence and Puberty? (5 Marks)
Ans. The difference between Adolescence and Puberty is given below:
Adolescence
- It refers to the period of transition in the human body that includes both physical and social changes.
- It spans over the ages of 10-19 years.
- It overlaps the period of puberty but begins earlier and ends later in most cases.
- It causes not only physical changes but also affects the cognitive abilities of a person which includes maturity in the decision-making process.
- The changes in Adolescence are acquired by social exposure and experiences derived therefrom as the body undergoes certain physical changes.
Puberty
- It refers to the period of physical changes occurring in the human body.
- It spans over the ages of 12-16 years generally coinciding with teenage years.
- The onset and end of puberty are independent of Adolescence.
- It involves physiological changes only. For example, growth of body hair, oily and sweaty skin etc.
- The changes in Puberty are caused by the secretion of different hormones and changes in levels of certain hormones already working in the body.
Ques. Define Adolescence. (3 Marks)
Ans. Adolescence can be defined as the transitional phase of growth wherein the human body develops and attains maturity. It is a process of growing up and a stage of development where adolescents experience rapid physical and cognitive growth which means it’s an important time for laying the foundation of good health which involves educating adolescents about diet, physical and sexual activity, substance abuse etc. According to WHO and UNICEF, the age of adolescence is between 10 to 19 years of age.
Ques. What is Menstruation? (3 Marks)
Ans. Menstruation is the normal discharge of blood from the vagina of a woman once every 28 days or so i.e., it can happen earlier than that or later that. This bleeding lasts for 5-7 days and is caused due to breakage of the inner lining of the womb which was formed in anticipation of Pregnancy as soon the ovulation occurs.
When the ovum does not get fertilized, then no pregnancy occurs and the menstrual blood which is partly blood and partly tissue starts falling off from the Uterus and exits the body via the vagina.
Ques. List the changes that take place in the female body during puberty. (3 Marks)
Ans. During puberty, the female body undergoes the following changes –
- Girls’ breasts continue to grow and become fuller so do their hips.
- Menstruation begins around 2 years after the onset of puberty
- There is a growth of hair on underarms, pubic areas etc.
- There is a secretion of Growth Hormone which causes the increase in height.
- There is a lot of mood swings caused due to fluctuations in hormonal levels
- The problem of acne occurs due to the development of oil glands under the skin.
Ques. What is do you mean by Secondary Sexual characteristics? (3 Marks)
Ans. Secondary sex characteristics are the features that appear in the human body during Puberty as a mark of sexual maturity. These sexually dimorphic characteristics are not directly involved in reproduction i.e., it doesn’t include the development of sexual organs of the human body but other features which might help reproduction. Their major significance is that they help in physical differentiation between boys and girls.
Such features include – increase in height, oily and sweaty skin, acne-prone skin, growth of hair in the pubic areas and under armpits.
Ques. List the changes that take place in the male body during puberty. (5 Marks)
Ans. During puberty, the male body undergoes the following changes –
- Hair starts to grow in the genital area, chest, underarm and face.
- The larynx (voice box) enlarges and the voice of boys will become deeper as the period of puberty progresses.
- Due to the increased development of oil glands and increase in physical activity the problem of oily skin leading to acne and profuse sweating may become apparent.
- The testis grows and the production of sperms begin therein.
- Due to the secretion of growth hormone, boys will experience a growth spurt during puberty and get significantly tall.
Ques. Why do changes occur in Human Body at Puberty? (3 Marks)
Ans. The changes in the human body occur due to hormones. These hormones are the chemicals present in the body secreted by different glands for a specific purpose which often leads to bodily changes in the period of puberty. For example,
- Growth hormone secreted by the Thyroid gland is responsible for an increase in height
- Progesterone & Estrogen secreted in females by ovaries helps in the development of female sexual organs along with causing bodily changes like storage of fat in the pelvic area.
- Testosterone secreted in males by testes helps in the production of sperm and causes facial hair.
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