Relationship Between Growth Spurt, Sexual Maturation, and Secular Trends in Puberty

The Relationship Between Growth Spurt, Sexual Maturation, and Secular Trends in Puberty
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The growth spurt is characterized by the rapid development of a child’s body, mostly seen during puberty. Conversely, sexual maturation is characterized by the growth of the sex organs of both sexes, including the internal organs and external genitalia. This is also when the secondary sexual characteristics form (Sanders et al., 2017). Lastly, secular trends in puberty involve differences in the development of adolescents (Ohlsson et al., 2019). Growth spurt and early menarche and thelarche are secular trends in puberty, and sexual maturation is positively correlated.
The effects of growth spurt vary between boys and girls, and the most significant number of changes can be observed during puberty. The peak in boys is typically marked by an increase in the height of more than ten centimeters, while this is around nine centimeters in girls. Aside from the height, many other aspects of the physical body mature, and other bodily aspects such as the emotional and cognitive areas also develop (Graber, 2021).
Physical maturation is significantly affected by nutrition, lifestyle, and fitness. In this aspect, all the organ systems undergo development, including the reproductive system (i.e., gonads of both sexes). The process by which the reproductive organs develop is called sexual maturation, which follows a specific order and often happens during a growth spurt, but the rapidity and the onset vary and, in some instances, undergo a pathologic process. Like the general trends in a growth spurt, sexual maturation is also influenced by nutrition from childhood to adolescence. The characteristics of sexual maturity are the following: First, the growth spurt of boys usually happens between 12 to 16 years old and peaks between 13 and 14 years old. The changes include the precipitous enlargement of the testes and scrotum and the increase in the length of the penis. Sexual maturation is also accompanied by increased libido, as manifested by the increased number of ejaculations. The initial ejaculation after sexual maturation is experienced a year later. On average, the first ejaculation is observed between 12.5 to 14 years old. Secondary sexual characteristics also develop at this time, including the increase in the body hairs on the pubis, armpits, and face. Hair growth on the pubis usually precedes the latter two (Graber, 2021).
On the other hand, sexual maturation in girls is evidenced initially by breast budding, followed by the appearance of pubic and axillary hair. ...