Adolescence:

A period from the onset of puberty or sexual maturity to adulthood. (last from 12 to 18 years).

Pubescence: Shorter period of adolescence during which an individual achieves sexual

maturity last from two to four years accompanied by both physical and psychological changes such as adolescence body become capable of functioning sexually and their attitude and behavior become more adult like.

Physical Growth: ??????????

Human being grow most rapidly at two times during their lives i.e. before the age of six months and in adolescence often called adolescence growth spurt ( The period of acceleration of growth in early adolescence). The most obvious physical alteration in adolescence are changes in height, weight, body and development of primary and secondary sexually characteristics which induce body hair, breast development, changes in voice etc. closely controlled by CNS and endocrine system. In girls adolescence growth spurt in height usually begins between the ages of 9 11 and reaches to peak of about 12 years the spurt in weight gain follow the height gain and ceases completely between ages of 15 and 18. The growth spurt begins in boys generally begin 2 year later than girls and last for long time. The growth spurt in height begin between ages of 11 12 reaches to peak of 14 years and decline slowly until the ages of 20 or 21. Big feet and longer legs are the early sign of changing body, first hands and feet grows then arms and legs grow and later on shoulder and chest to the rest of developing body. The trunk widens in hips and shoulder and the waistline drops, boys tend to broaden in shoulder while girls in hips. One part of adolescence that does not undergo much change is brain because this age it reached to its adult size, the shape and size of head and face changes as forehead become wider and higher and size of head is smaller related to body is smaller than it was in childhood. One of the earliest changes in both sexes is addition of subcutaneous fat in hips and legs which soon diminishes in boys but not in girls. At age of 17 girls have about 2 or more time much body fat than boys however in contrast lean body mass (LBM) significantly greater in boys than in girls. Lean body mass (LBM) growth is due to increasing muscle strength and motor performance thats why often boys seems to be more stronger than girls.

Other basic physical changes experiences by both sexes in adolescence: Female changes:
Increase in height Increase in body fat Emergence of breast bud Growth of breast Increase in muscle strength Pubic hair appearance Start of menstruation (menarche) First ovulation Peak by age 12 Peak by age 17 About 10 years 8 to 13 years peak by age 16 12-1/2years 10 to 15 years and peak by age 14 18 From 12 to 13 years 13-1/2 approx.

Male changes:
Increase in height Increase in muscles strength Pubic hairs appearance Development complete Testes and scrotum grow larger Penis growth Facial hairs appearance Deepening of voice First ejaculation of semen Peak by age 13 Peak by age 14 or more At age of 12 years At age of 18 years At age of 11 years Begins b/w ages of 10 to 15 years and completed b/w ages of 12 to 16 years or more At age of 16 years 15 years At age of 13 years

Factors influencing adolescence growth/ growth spurt:

Heredity and genetics Health Nutrition Poverty????????????? Teenager body grow at different rates so that at times adolescents look a bit a aukward.

Picture?

Impact of sexual maturity on adolescence:

The stage of development at which an individual become sexually mature or competent and capable of reproduction. Perhaps the first sign that adolescent had were entering is PUBERTY in which eruption of pubic hair, onset of menstruation in girls and production of semen, growth of testes and penis in boys are often taken as sign of onset of puberty. These changes in sex organs accompanied by other changes in body as primary and secondary sex characteristics.

Primary sex characteristics:

Refers to organs necessary for reproduction i.e. is maturation of male testes, penis and prostate glands enlargement although penis begin to erect spontaneously or in response to sexual sounds, sights or thoughts. The female`s uterus, fallopian tubes and vagina grow rapidly, the ovaries also grow and begin to function as to produce ova and secrete hormones the hormones need for pregnancy.

Secondary sex characteristics:

These characteristics are not directly related to reproduction i.e. the first should be as appearance determines by heredity accompanied by deepening of voice. Girls secondary sex characteristics are develop in same sequence except breast, approaching sexual maturity in girls is budding of breast occur at age of 10 or 11 years. After menarche the breast become larger and rounded with the development of mammary glands. The hips also grow wider and rounded by enlargement of pelvic bone and subcutaneous fat supplementation. The skin become coarser and thicker in both sexes during sexual maturity or puberty and produce oily secretions as well as the sweat glands also begins to function.

Sexual attitude and behaviors:

Refers to the attitudes and behavioral changes in adolescence experiences during their sexual maturity. Not only the adolescent`s body becoming more like those of adult but their interest in sexual behaviors increases sharply over the period from ages of 12 to 18. They are more concerned with meeting with his or her own needs for sexual stimulation than satisfying others while later adolescent`s on other hand sexual relationship or more often based on mutuality.(a concern for both meeting the needs of oneself and one`s partner). Adolescence is the time in which sexuality emerges on full bloom, it is a time for exploring sexual feeling and development of sexual relationships, many teenagers decisions about their sexual behavior, that is whether they meet their sexual needs with a person of the same sex referred as homosexual behaviors or with the person of opposite sex as his or her heterosexual behavior.

Teenage pregnancy:
Almost half of the sexually active teenagers fails to use contraception or use it occasionally, thus putting them at risk for an unwanted pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy creates risks both for mother and child. The babies of teenage mothers have twice the normal chance of being born prematurely or with low birth weight, neurological defects or birth injuries. These babies run 2 or 3 times the normal risk of dying in infancy.

Contraceptive use: The invention and general availability of contraceptive devices led to a marked increase in sexual activity among teenagers as well as in society as a whole. Nonetheless, almost half of all sexually active teenagers do not use any sort of contraceptive techniques thus having unprotected sex puts the individual at risk for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.