Secondary Sexual Characters

SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERS

• A character that develops during adolescence and helps to distinguish the male from the female is known as a secondary sexual character. Some of these characters are as listed below

• Hormones are chemical substances secreted by the endocrine system/ endocrine glands (Ductless gland i.e. endocrine glands release hormone directly into the bloodstream to reach a particular body part/TARGET SITE).
• Hormones control the changes during adolescence. The pituitary gland (found attached to the brain) secretes hormones which in turn control the production of hormones from other endocrine glands.

What are Secondary Sexual Characters?

• At puberty, some changes occur in both males and females that distinguish them from each other. The features that develop in them are called Secondary Sexual Characters.
• In boys some secondary sexual characters are:
  • Facial hair growth.
  • Growth of hair on the chest, under the arms and pubic area.
• Some secondary sexual characteristics in girls are:
  • Development of breasts.
  • The growth of hair under the arms and the pubic area.