Puberty is the stage in life when a child's body develops into an adult's body. The changes take place gradually, usually between the ages of 10 and 16.
Changes occur at puberty because of hormoneChemical messenger produced in glands and carried by the blood to specific organs in the body.:
At the onset of puberty, the hypothalamusPart of the brain which controls water balance, temperature and secretion of hormones by the pituitary gland. gland in the brain begins to secrete a releaser hormone which targets the pituitary gland A small but important endocrine gland that controls growth and also other endocrine glands by releasing hormones into the blood..
This releaser hormone stimulates the pituitary gland to release two hormones:
FSHFollicle Stimulating Hormone. It stimulates oestrogen production and the growth of follicles (egg-sacs) in the ovary. It is secreted by the pituitary gland.
ICSHInterstitial cell stimulating hormone. A hormone produced in the pituitary gland that stimulates the production of testosterone in the testes./LHLuteinising Hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, which stimulates ovulation.
These hormones travel through the blood to the testes and ovaries:
In males, ICSH stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. This causes the development of male sexual organs and male secondary sexual characteristicsBody features, other than the reproductive organs, that appear during puberty and which are different in males and females (such as breasts and beards)..
In females, LH stimulates the ovaries to produce oestrogen. This causes the development of female sexual organs and female secondary sexual characteristics.