Testosterone facts for kids
Testosterone is a special chemical in your body called a hormone. Hormones are like messengers that tell your body what to do. Testosterone is a type of hormone known as a sex hormone. It helps control many changes in your body, especially those linked to growing up.
It's also called an androgen, which means it's the main male sex hormone. Even though it's known as a male hormone, both boys and girls have testosterone in their bodies.
Contents
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a natural chemical made inside your body. It's built from a substance called cholesterol, which is a type of fat. Hormones like testosterone help your body grow and develop. They play a big role in how your body changes as you get older.
Where Does Testosterone Come From?
In boys and men, most testosterone is made in the testicles. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system. They produce a lot of this hormone.
Girls and women also make testosterone, but in much smaller amounts. It's made in their ovaries and in small glands above their kidneys called adrenal glands. Because boys and men make so much more, they have much higher levels of testosterone in their bodies than girls and women do.
What Does Testosterone Do?
Testosterone has two main jobs in your body.
Building Up Your Body
One job of testosterone is called "anabolic." This means it helps your body build things up. It helps your muscles grow bigger and stronger. It also helps your bones become denser and stronger. This is why testosterone is important for growth during childhood and the teenage years.
Making You Look Male
The other job of testosterone is called "androgenic." These effects are what make a boy's body develop male characteristics. During puberty, testosterone causes many changes, such as:
- Your voice getting deeper.
- Hair growing on your face (like a beard) and body.
- Your body shape changing to become more muscular.
These changes are a normal part of growing up for boys, and testosterone is the key hormone that makes them happen.
Images for kids
-
Nobel Prize winner, Leopold Ruzicka, who helped create testosterone in a lab.
-
Two ways to measure testosterone in the body.
See also
In Spanish: Testosterona para niños
