Rethinking Puberty: The Development of Sexual Attraction.

Findings from various studies have pointed to the age 10 as the mean age of first sexual attraction, well before puberty. The new research on sexual orientation has provided data that invalidate the old model of gonadarche as the sole biological cause of adult forms of sexuality. The maturation of the adrenal glands during middle childhood, termed adrenarche. The adrenal glands are the biggest nongonadal source of sex steroids. This observation leads to a redefinition of pre-pubertal and pubertal development.