Ch. 9 Flashcards
Puberty
The time at the end of childhood between the first onrush of growth hormones and full adult size
Menarche
A girl’s first menstrual period
Spermarche
A boy’s first speculation of sperm
Pituitary
A gland in the brain that produces many hormones
Adrenal glands
Two glands above the kidney that produce hormones in response to signals from the pituitary
Gonads
The sex glands
Estradiol
A sex hormone, considered to be the chief estrogen
Testosterone
Male sex hormone
Circadian rhythm
A day-night cycle of biological activity that occurs approx. every 25 hrs
Secular trend
Advances in growth and maturation that result from modern nutrition
Growth spurt
The relatively sudden and rapid physical growth that occurs during puberty
Primary sex characteristics
The parts of the body that are directly involved in reproduction
Secondary sex characteristics
Physical traits that are not directly involved in reproduction
Body image
A person’s idea of how his/her body looks
Anorexia nervosa
Self-starvation and obsession with weight