Reaching The Age Of Adolescence

Both father and mother contribute one sex chromosome each to the offspring. Mother has two X chromosomes whereas father has one X and one Y chromosome. So the offspring obtain one X chromosome from mother and whether X or Y chromosome inherited from father will determine the sex of the child. If X chromosome is inherited from father the offspring will be a girl but if it is Y then the baby will be a boy.

HIV virus is present in the blood of infected person so if this infected blood is transfused to a healthy individual there is a maximum chance of getting infected by this virus. This virus is also transmitted through shared injection needles, sexual contact, infected mother to child during pregnancy etc.

Every month one egg develops in the ovary which gets matured. After maturation, the ovary releases the egg. The egg travels through oviduct to the uterus, if there will be any sperm then sperm will fertilize the egg. The zygote will be formed as a result of fertilization which divides and redivides to form the embryo and this embryo gets attached to the thick uterine lining of the uterus for further development.

The tadpole passes certain stages to form a frog and this process is called metamorphosis. This process is regulated by thyroxine hormone secreted from the thyroid gland. Iodine is an essential element required for proper functioning of thyroid gland.

There will be a sudden increase in height which is the most prominent visible change in boys at the time of puberty. The long bones present in arms and legs elongate which make them appear tall.

Sex chromosome present in the nucleus of a cell determines the sex of a baby. There are two types of sex chromosomes X and Y. If X bearing sperm fuses with ova which contain X chromosome then the baby will be a girl. But if Y bearing sperm fuses with ova containing X chromosome baby will be a boy.

a) Reproductive life of a woman lasts from menarche to menopause.

The first menstrual flow begins at puberty around the age of 10 – 12 years in girls known as menarche. Because at this age ovaries start producing eggs indicating the starting of reproductive age. At the age of 45 – 50 years menstrual cycle stops as ovary lose the ability to produce eggs which marks the end of reproductive phase known as menopause.

b) The development of a caterpillar to an adult butterfly is termed as metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis is the process in which larvae enters various stages to develop into an adult. This process is regulated by insect hormones. The larvae/caterpillar enters into pupa stage then finally become a butterfly.

c) The overgrowth of muscles in larynx leads to the hoarse voice in adolescent boys.

During puberty, in boys, the muscles present in voice box grows and this can be seen as a protruding part of the throat known as Adam’s apple. Due to this boys develop a deep, hoarse voice.

d) Adrenaline helps the body to adjust and fight the stress.

Adrenaline is called stress hormone which is secreted from adrenal glands at the time of stress. It helps the body to face the emergency situation or flight away from it.

a) Fertilised egg/zygote

The egg gets fertilized with sperm at oviduct to form a zygote. For the proper development of zygote to a full term baby it needs proper nutrients, oxygen etc. which is supplied by blood vessels. Hence uterine lining gets thickened and richly supplied with blood to receive the fertilized egg.

b) Blood stream, the target site

Hormones are produced by endocrine glands which do not have ducts so they secrete hormones and pour directly into the blood stream which is carried to the target organs.

c) Testosterone, secondary sexual

Secondary sexual characters are visible characters which help us to differentiate between two sexes i.e. male and female. The growth of secondary sexual characters is controlled by sex hormones i.e. testosterone in males produced by testes and estrogen in females produced by ovaries.

d) Pituitary gland

The pituitary gland is the master gland which regulates the secretion of hormones from all other endocrine glands.

(a) Target site

Hormones are produced by endocrine glands and are poured directly into the blood stream where they are carried to the target site. A specific hormone triggers a specific target site and controls its function.

(b) Sweat gland

It is an exocrine gland because it pours its secretion i.e. sweat through a duct. So it is a duct gland.

(c) Hormones

Hormones are secreted by endocrine glands which controls and coordinates our various organs. Mainly sex hormones control the functioning of our reproductive organs thus controls the changes which occur during adolescence.

(d) Puberty

Puberty is the stage where the reproductive period of an adult starts. In this age, they are capable of producing their young ones. This period is marked by the development of some secondary sexual characters which helps us to differentiate between male and female.

Testosterone.

It is produced by males during puberty by testes. It helps in the production of sperms in testes and development of secondary sexual characters in males.

Estrogen.

It is produced in ovaries of females which help in the production of eggs. They also stimulate the formation of secondary sexual characters in females.

a) - iii

Deficiency of thyroxine hormone causes goiter. Iodine is responsible for secretion of thyroxine hormone. So lack of iodine in diet would cause goiter which is marked as a swelling in the neck.

b) - iv

Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and it's under secretion causes dwarfism. In this condition, the person cannot grows well leading to stunted growth.

c) - ii

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas which regulates blood sugar level in our body. So a deficiency of this hormone causes diabetes where more sugar level is found in blood.

d) - i

Adrenal hormone deficiency leads to a salt imbalance in our body. A hormone named aldosterone regulates sodium potassium levels in our blood so its deficiency leads to an imbalance of these salt levels.

Lila always eats dal and rice but not any other vegetables or fruits that mean she is not taking a balanced diet. An imbalanced diet may lead to various deficiencies in our body and we may fall ill. She is taking only protein and carbohydrates in form of dal and rice respectively but not taking vitamins, minerals that provide immunity to our body and increases the resistive power of our body against various diseases. So she should include many vegetables and fruits in her diet to be healthy.

Two features seen in boys are-

a) Change in body shape- The shoulders become broader and chest wider. Muscles grow prominently. They develop beards, moustaches on their face.

b) Deep and hoarse voice- The voice box of boys are larger than girls but at puberty, the muscles present in voice box grows and it can be seen as a protruding part of throat known as Adam’s apple. So males develop deep and hoarse voice.

Features in girls-

a) Change in body shape- Their pelvic region widens, hips broadened, development of breasts.

b) Change in voice- High pitch voice.

Drugs are very powerful and it should be taken in proper dosage otherwise it may cause harm to our body. Its quantity should be properly known otherwise it would lead to various side effects in our body. Hence on the prescription of doctors only we should take drugs/medicines or else we should avoid it.

No, they are not healthy eating foods as they are considered as junk foods without any nutritional values. They are not a part of our balanced diet. They cannot meet our daily requirements of nutrients which is essential for our growth and development.

(a) nutrients

A balanced diet is one which contains all essential nutrients that is required for proper growth and development of our body as well as that keeps ourselves disease free and healthy.

(b) thyroxine

Thyroxine secreted from thyroid gland helps in metamorphosis process in tadpoles. Tadpoles get converted into adult frogs by metamorphosis process which is regulated by hormone thyroxine so insufficient secretion of this hormone may leads to incomplete development.

(c) Ductless

Endocrine glands do not have ducts and pour their secretions directly into the bloodstream so they are called as ductless glands. Through blood, these hormones are carried towards the target sites.

(d) Deep

During puberty, the voice box gets enlarged and protruded out in throat region which is known as Adam’s apple. So the voice of boys becomes deep and hoarse.

Father has two sex chromosomes X and Y while mother has one sex chromosome i.e. X chromosome. If X bearing sperm fuses with ova containing X chromosome it will be a female child. If Y bearing sperm fuses with ova it will be a male child.

Body Changes during adolescence

These are called secondary sexual characters that develop during puberty and helps us to differentiate boys from girls.

a) The pituitary gland is the master gland which controls the secretion of all other endocrine glands so it also controls the secretion of sex hormones.

b) Testes are male reproductive organs which produce male hormone testosterone that regulates the secondary sexual characters in males.

c) The pancreas secretes insulin which regulates blood sugar level. It converts excess sugar into glycogen and stores it in the liver.

d) Adrenal gland secretes aldosterone which regulates the correct salt balance in our body. It balances sodium potassium levels in our body and helps in water retention.

Proteins are required for repair of tissues, for hair growth, muscles development, preparation of enzymes and hormones, body growth etc. They are mainly found in lentils, pulses, beans, egg white etc.

Carbohydrates provide us energy. They are found in cereals like rice, wheat etc.

Fats also provide us energy required to carry our daily activities as well as metabolic activities. They are found in nuts, ghee, butter, oils etc.

Minerals and vitamins protect our body from diseases. They provide us immunity. They are mainly found in fruits and vegetables.

a. Adrenaline.

It is secreted by adrenal gland during emergency situations. It helps us to face the situation or flight away from it. It is secreted by anger, fear, grief, stress etc.

b. Growth hormone

It is secreted by the pituitary gland which regulates the growth of our body including tissues and bones.

c. Insect hormones.

It regulates the metamorphosis process of a caterpillar to moth. The larvae enter various stages and form a moth.

d. Thyroxine

It is secreted by the thyroid gland which regulates the development process of a tadpole into an adult frog. This process is called metamorphosis.

No, the thickening of uterus lining is not permanent. It gets thickened to receive the fertilized egg but if the egg is not fertilized the inner lining sheds off. Blood along with mucus, an unfertilized egg is released out through menstrual flow. But if the egg is fertilized the uterus receives the zygote and supplies nourishment through the blood vessels. Till the complete development of the foetus in the uterus it provides nutrients, oxygen to the growing fetus. After the baby is born it sheds off.

The swelling of the neck in Radha might be due to undersecretion of thyroxine hormone by the thyroid gland which causes goiter. It is due to deficiency of iodine in the diet. So the doctor gave her proper medicines to treat the disorder. But in John it is due to enlargement of larynx-the voice box which protrudes out in throat region known as Adam’s Apple. This occurs in boys during puberty and they develop deep and hoarse voice.

(a) The red line represent the height of boys as boys height grows gradually up to 18 years and their % of full height is less as compared to girls.

(b) Blue line represent girls height as their % of full height for a particular age is more as compared to boys.

(c) Girls grow faster initially as compared to boys. The girls % of the full height at particular age group is more as compared to boys. But both attain maximum height by 18 years of age.

(d) No, the pattern is not true for each individual. Some grow very fast initially then they stop. But some grows gradually and attain maximum height by 18 years of age.

During puberty, the activity of sebaceous gland, sweat gland increases leading to release of more oil, sweat which gets collected in pores of skin thus pores get blocked. Bacteria grow there leading to the development of pimples. So we have to clean our face at regular interval to make our face sweat and oil free. We can use face wash which will remove oil and sweat thus pores on skin gets opened. So bacteria cannot grow and there will be no pimples or acne.

In India minimum age for boys to get married is 21 years and girls is 18 years. Teenage mothers are not mentally or physically prepared to carry a child and this may affect the health of both child and mother. They have not that much capacity to hold the responsibility of motherhood. Besides their career, employment will be affected. Similarly, teenage boys cannot take the family responsibilities, at that age they are not matured enough for parenthood as well as not financially well settled to take responsibility for their family. Their career will also be affected. So Government of India has passed a law that boys and girls should marry after a certain age.

Yes, though the height of a child depends upon genes inherited from a parent there are various factors which affect the height of a child. These include a balanced diet, exercise, hormones, diseases etc. If a child is not getting proper nutrients from his diet then it will affect his growth and development as various nutrients help in the building of bones, muscles, tissues etc. Similarly, if growth hormone is not properly secreted by pituitary gland it may cause stunted growth-dwarfism or over growth- gigantism in children. Proper and regular exercise is required for healthy bones and muscles development. Certain diseases also cause improper growth and development in the body. So the height of a person depends on these factors.