Last updated on October 17, 2020
Question:
How do female hormones control puberty?
Answer:
Hormones are chemical messengers, regulating when various actions take place. A gland in your brain, called the hypothalamus gland, begins producing a hormone that triggers growth. In response, another gland, the pituitary gland, produces hormones that stimulate the ovaries. The ovaries, in turn, release the female hormones which in turn control how the body develops. The characteristics that are associated with being female, such as breasts, wider hips, and soft skin (from fat being deposited just under the surface) are regulated by the female hormones. When a proper level is reached due to growth over several years, these hormones then turn the hypothalamus off.
Interestingly, women have some male hormones, and men have some female hormones. The difference is not the presence of the hormones, but the quantity in the bloodstream. Women have lots of female hormones floating around, but only a small amount of male hormones.