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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.
The underlying cause is due to the defective migration of GNRH neurons from olfactory placode to hypothalamus, leading to congenital GNRH deficiency. This leads to olfactory problems such as anosmia, optic defects like color blindness, and results in hypothalmic deficiencies associated with low levels of LH, affecting sex hormone testosterone in males or estrogen and progesterone in females.
African-American girls are especially prone to early puberty. [18] Though boys face fewer problems from early puberty than girls do, early puberty is not always positive for boys. Early sexual maturation in boys can be accompanied by increased aggressiveness due to the surge of pubertal hormones. [57]
Precocious puberty is when signs of sexual maturity occur earlier than age 8 in a girl and age 9 in a boy. (Photo: Getty Images) (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Every child goes through puberty, but ...
[1] [6] Moreover, puberty is considered delayed if breast development does not start at age 13 or if a female has not had her first period within three years of thelarche. [7] Additionally, secondary breast development occurring before the age of 7 years could be a sign of premature thelarche or precocious puberty. Of note, for some girls ...
As puberty begins and sex hormone levels rise, differences appear, though some changes are similar in males and females. Male levels of testosterone directly induce the growth of the genitals, and indirectly (via dihydrotestosterone (DHT)) the prostate. Estradiol and other hormones cause breasts to develop in females.
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.
It can manifest as precocious puberty, and is caused by abnormally high levels of testosterone or estrogen, crucial hormones for sexual development. In some cases, it may be caused by a tumor, which can be malignant, but is more commonly benign. [2] Anabolic steroids may also be a major cause of high androgen and estrogen functional activity.