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Puberty begins when the hypothalumus, which is part of the brain, produces a hormone that stimulates the pituitary gland, which then produces hormones called gonadotrophins that stimulate the gonads and adrenals. Gonads are the testes in males and the ovaries in females. The gonads then produce a flood of sexual hormones that stimulate growth and development of the sexual organs and breasts of females.
Females usually start puberty at about 10.5 years of age, and males start about a year later.<ref name="cleveland2024">{{REFweb |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/puberty |title=Puberty |last=Anonymous |first= |init= |author-link= |publisher=Cleveland Clinic |date=2024-08-26 |accessdate=2025-09-28}}</ref>
===Precocious puberty===
Puberty sometimes starts early. When it does, it is called precocious puberty.Puberty that starts before eight years in girls and nine years in boys is considered to be precocious puberty.<ref name="cleveland2024" />
==Onset of sexual function==
Menstruation usually occurs at about 12.5 years of age, while first [[ejaculation]] usually occurs at about 13 years of age.
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==Tanner stages==
Dr James Tanner, a British paediatric endocrinologist, created Tanner stages, which describes the progress of puberty through five stages.<ref name="cleveland2024">{{REFweb |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/puberty |title=Puberty |last=Anonymous |first= |init= |author-link= |publisher=Cleveland Clinic |date=2024-08-26 |accessdate=2025-09-28}}</ref>
==End of puberty==
Puberty typically lasts for 2 to 5 years. It usually ends for girls at age 15 to 17, and for boys at age 16 to 17.<ref name="cleveland2024" />