physical changes: part 2

Study Notes

Primary and Secondary Sex Characteristics during Puberty

Two kinds of changes occur in response to increased sex hormones during puberty: primary and secondary sex characteristics.
Primary sex characteristics are directly related to reproduction, such as the production of eggs in females and sperm in males.
Secondary sex characteristics are bodily changes resulting from the rise in sex hormones during puberty, excluding those directly related to reproduction.
Females are born with all the eggs they will ever have, approximately 300,000 in their ovaries at puberty.
Once girls reach menarche (first menstrual period), one egg develops into a mature egg every 28 days.
Females release around 400 eggs during their reproductive lives.
Males do not have sperm in their testes at birth and only start producing sperm during puberty.
Males produce an astonishing quantity of sperm, with between 100 and 300 million in the typical ejaculation.
On average, males produce millions of sperm every day.
Secondary sex characteristics in both males and females include the growth of pubic hair, a lowering of the voice, and increased production of skin oils and sweat.
The development of secondary sex characteristics varies among individuals and occurs during puberty.
The changes in primary and secondary sex characteristics are driven by the rise in sex hormones during puberty.

Description

Test your knowledge on primary and secondary sex characteristics in this quiz. Learn about the reproductive changes and other bodily transformations that occur during puberty due to increased sex hormones.