Puberty is a period of sexual maturation. It is a time when a child undergoes internal and external changes that begin the process of the physical capacity for sexual reproduction. It is a complex process that involves dramatic internal changes that begins when hormones (specialized substances released by glands) are produced by the body and signal the body to develop and change in certain ways. During puberty, sex hormones start to be produced at adult levels by glands in the body as signaled by the pituitary gland in the brain. The male hormone is known as androgen, and the female hormone is known as estrogen. Males and females produce both types of hormones, but androgens are produced in higher concentration in males and estrogens are ...