The main differences between genders begins with sexual maturity. Sexual physical maturity begins during puberty, which is the period of time in an adolescence's life in which rapid growth occurs and the capacity for reproduction begins. Boys and girls experience puberty at different times in their lives, and it is not an isolated event, but happens over the course of many years. In both genders at the start of puberty, the hypothalamus begins producing more hormones. These hormones stimulate the gonads (testes in boys and ovaries in girls), which will produce either testosterone (in boys) or estrogen (in girls).
Boys
|
Girls
|
"SECTION I: Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology." Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. PopFam, n.d. Web. 30 May 2016. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/pubhealth/modules/reproductiveHealth/anatomy.html