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Pronunciations epididymis luteinizing hormone pituitary prostate

• Puberty may begin as early as age 9 and continue until age 16.
• At puberty, the testes start to produce testosterone.
• Testosterone causes reproductive organs to mature, facial and pubic hair to appear, and the voice to deepen.

Puberty is the stage during which a person reaches full reproductive ability and develops the adult features of their gender. In boys, puberty usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 14 years. However, it is not unusual for puberty to begin as early as age 9 or to continue until age 16.

The pituitary gland, which is located in the brain, initiates puberty. The pituitary gland secretes luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, which stimulate the testes to produce testosterone. Testosterone is responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics, features that distinguish the sexes but are not part of the reproductive system, such as facial hair growth and voice change.

Testosterone also produces many changes in the male reproductive organs, including

• Elongation and thickening of the penis
• Enlargement of the scrotum, testes, epididymis, and prostate
• Darkening of the skin of the scrotum
• Growth of pubic hair

Sperm usually develops by age 14. Ejaculation first occurs during late puberty.

Last full review/revision August 2007 by Paul D. Lui, MD