Bright Future – Sexual Maturity Rating
Sexual maturity ratings (SMRs) are widely used to assess adolescents, physical development during puberty in 5 stages (from preadolescent to adult). Also known as Tanner stages, SMRs are a way of assessing the degree of maturation of secondary sexual characteristics.
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The developmental stages of the adolescent’s sexual characteristics should be rated separately (ie, one stage for pubic hair and one for breasts in females, one stage for pubic hair and one for genitals in males), because these characteristics may differ in their degree of maturity.
sexual Maturity ratings: Females | |
sMr | PubiC HAir |
Stage 1 | None |
Stage 2 | Sparse, slightly pigmented, straight, at medial border of labia |
Stage 3 | Darker, beginnning to curl, increased amount |
Stage 4 | Course, curly, abundant, but amount less than in adult |
Stage 5 | Adult feminine triangle, spread to medial surface of thighs |
sMr | brEAsts |
Stage 1 | Preadolescent |
Stage 2 | Breast and papilla elevated as small mound; areolar diameter reincreased |
Stage 3 | Breast and aerola enlarged, no contour separation |
Stage 4 | Areola and papilla form secondary mound. |
Stage 5 | Mature. Nipple projects. Areola part of general breast contour. |
references
- Daniels Adolescents in Health and Disease. St Louis, MO: Moby, Inc; 1977
- Tanner Growth at Adolescence. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Blackwell Scientific Publications; 1962
- Spear Adolescent growth and development. In: Rickert VI, ed. Adolescent Nutrition: Assessment and Management. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall (Aspen Publishers Inc); 1996:3-24