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Puberty
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Puberty is the stage in which the body matures until it reaches sexual maturity, that is, until it becomes capable of reproduction. It is a physical process, and the signal to start comes from the brain.
In the hypothalamus, a region at the base of the brain, the body makes a hormone called GnRH. Before puberty, a brake holds that hormone back. About a year before puberty begins, the brake eases and GnRH starts to come out in pulses, like little taps. Each pulse signals the anterior pituitary, a gland below the brain, to release two other hormones: FSH and LH.
FSH and LH act on the gonads, which are the ovaries and the testicles, and drive them to make sex hormones. With these hormones, the visible changes begin. In girls, the first change is usually breast growth; in boys, it is usually testicular enlargement.
In brief
Puberty is the process of physical maturation through which an adolescent reaches sexual maturity and becomes capable of reproduction.
About a year before it begins, the inhibition of GnRH eases: the hypothalamus releases it in pulses, the anterior pituitary releases FSH and LH, and these drive the gonads to produce sex hormones.
A brake that releases and lets pulses through.
This sets off the physical changes: the first sign is usually breast growth in girls and testicular enlargement in boys.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Puberty, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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