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What do the terms “phase,” “teenager,” “puberty,” and “reproductive signals” mean when referring to adolescence?
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- Phase: Adolescence is a natural phase from around 11 to 18 or 19 years.
- Teenager: Since this period covers the ‘teens’ (13 to 18 or 19 years of age), adolescents are also called ‘teenagers’.
- Puberty: It’s marked by physical changes leading to reproductive maturity, referred to as puberty.
- Signals: Puberty’s main sign is the ability for reproduction, concluding when reproductive maturity is reached.
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Metamorphosis of Adolescence: Transformative changes at Puberty
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Height Increase During Puberty:
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- Sudden Changes: Puberty triggers sudden height increases through the elongation of long bones.
- Growth Rates: It varies, with girls initially growing faster than boys.
- Genetic factors: They influence height, and proper nutrition is crucial for growth.
- Calculation of full height
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What role does Puberty play in shaping body changes?
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- Puberty induces distinct body changes, such as broader shoulders in boys and widened hips in girls.
- Muscle growth is more prominent in boys, leading to differing body shapes between genders.
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Voice Changes in Puberty for Boys and Girls:
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- Boys experience voice box growth during puberty, resulting in deeper voices.
- Girls’ larynx remains smaller, contributing to a higher-pitched voice.
- Temporary hoarseness in boys can occur due to uncontrolled muscle growth in the voice box.
- The growing voice box in boys can be seen as a protruding part of the throat called Adam’s apple.
- In girls, the larynx is hardly visible from the outside because of its small size.
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Heightened activity of Sweat and Sebaceous glands during Puberty:
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- Puberty leads to heightened activity of sweat and sebaceous glands.
- Increased gland activity often causes acne and pimples on the face.
Note: A few glands such as sweat glands, oil glands and salivary glands release their secretions through ducts. Endocrine glands release hormones directly into the bloodstream. So, they are also termed ductless glands.
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Full development of sex organs in boys and girls:
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- Male sex organs, including testes and penis, fully develop during puberty.
- Testes begin sperm production.
- In girls, ovaries enlarge, eggs mature, and ovulation begins.
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Reaching Mental, Intellectual, and Emotional Maturity Shifts of Adolescence:
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- Adolescence signifies a shift in thinking, marked by increased independence and self-consciousness.
- Intellectual development is notable, with heightened learning capacity.
- Emotional adjustments may occur, but these changes are natural aspects of growing up.
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Development of Secondary Sexual Characters in Adolescence:
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- Reproductive organs, testes, and ovaries produce gametes (sperms and ova).
- Secondary sexual characters develop breasts in girls, facial hair (moustaches and beards) in boys, and chest hair.
- Hair growth occurs under the arms and in the pubic region, distinguishing gender.
- Hormones, and chemical substances, control adolescent changes. These are secretions from endocrine glands, or the endocrine system.
- Testosterone, the male hormone, released by testes in boys, triggers changes like facial hair growth.
- Estrogen, the female hormone, produced by ovaries in girls, leads to breast development.
- Hormone production is regulated by the pituitary gland.
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How do hormones influence puberty and secondary sexual characteristics?
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- Endocrine glands release hormones into the bloodstream.
- Hormones travel to specific target sites in the body.
- Testes and ovaries, endocrine glands, secrete sex hormones.
- Sex hormones influence the development of male and female secondary sexual characters.
- Hormones from the pituitary gland regulate sex hormones.
- The pituitary gland releases various hormones, including those that stimulate ovum maturation in the ovaries and sperm formation in the testes.
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