Primer on Hormones

As we begin the study of male and female puberty, a little primer on the topic of hormones is in order. 

Fight or Flight

I always had great fun with this lesson: I began with a story. You may choose to do something similar. I had the children close their eyes and listen in complete silence. The story began very pleasantly- beautiful day, cloudless sky, warm weather. Very gradually, as our subject begins a walk, the mood turns slightly sinister. The temperature drops, the trees begin to crowd, the path grows narrow. The story takes us to a very scary house, with threatening sounds, a dark staircase, etc. The story concludes with a very loud scream from me. As their eyes pop open I segue immediately into a video of scary roller coasters. The final exercise is me, informing the children that the principal has instructed me to give the children a test covering every health topic for the year. 

By now, every child is experiencing a level of anxiety for one reason or another. The point of this exercise is obvious - the hormone, adrenalin. Every single child in the room views one of these scenarios as a threat. I assure them that the adrenalin has kicked in. (The anxiety levels are so high and the relief so great that there are always a few children who, a few minutes later, inquire about the test not realizing it was part of the exercise).

Hormones. Simply put, hormones are chemicals that help all kinds of body functions. As we will see, hormones play a huge part in puberty.

Male and Female Hormones

Now that we are familiar with the term hormones, let us briefly touch upon the huge effect of male and female hormones on puberty. 

Testosterone

Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It is responsible for bigger muscles (!!), body and facial hair, deepening voices, and the production of sperm. 

Estrogen and Progesterone

Estrogen is responsible for breast growth and other female characteristics such as body hair, growth spurt, and slightly wider hips.

Progesterone is responsible for regulating a girl’s menstrual cycle and also prepares the body for conception. 

Now that your child understands the basics of puberty changes, let’s get specific. We start with Male Puberty.