sexual development
Adolescent physical changes
Sexual development is the process by which an organism acquires the physical characteristics and reproductive capacity of sexual maturity.
In humans, this encompasses both the biological changes of puberty—growth of sex organs, secondary sex characteristics, hormonal shifts—and the psychological emergence of sexual feelings and identity.
Her research focuses on adolescent sexual development.
The term also applies to prenatal development, when genetic and hormonal factors determine whether a fetus develops male or female anatomy.
- pubertySexual development stage
- growth spurtPeriod of accelerated physical development
- body hairMammalian surface strands
- hormonesBloodstream signaling molecules
- sex hormonesReproductive system regulators
gonads · consent · the talk · body image · reproductive system · menarche · first period · estrogen · attraction · intimacy · spermatogenesis · testosterone · secondary sex characteristics · adrenarche · precocious puberty · coming of age · Tanner stages · peer influence
- adolescencepuberty, teenager, coming-of-age, growing up, teen
- sex biologybiological sex, sex chromosomes, Y chromosome, XY, sex determination
- pubertypuberty, voice cracking, adolescence, growth spurts, body hair
- hormonesestrogen, testosterone, insulin, hormone, cortisol
- gender developmentgender identity, gender norms, gender stereotypes, gender expression, feminine roles
sexual developmentarrested development
Halted progression before completion
growth inhibition · neoteny · prepubescence · developmental delay · delayed puberty
sexual developmentasexuality
Lack of sexual attraction
hypogonadism · castration · sterilization · chemical castration · prepubescence
sexual developmentprepuberty
Stage before sexual maturation
childhood · infancy · senescence · menopause · andropause
sexual, sexier, sexiest, sexily, sexiness, asexual, bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual