Grade 7 Life Skills Based Sexuality Education key terms

The stage of life when the body matures sexually and becomes capable of reproduction, driven by hormones and usually beginning between ages 8 and 14.

The period between childhood and adulthood, roughly ages 10 to 19, when physical, emotional, and social changes happen rapidly and independence grows.

A chemical messenger made by glands that travels in the blood and tells specific organs or cells what to do, such as triggering growth or sperm and egg production.

A hormone produced mainly in the testes that supports sperm production and drives body changes such as a deeper voice, facial hair, and muscle growth.

A hormone produced mainly in the ovaries that helps regulate the menstrual cycle and supports body changes such as breast development and wider hips.

Body features that develop at puberty but are not directly involved in reproduction, such as breast growth, facial hair, a deeper voice, and body hair.

The release of semen during sleep, sometimes called a wet dream. It is a normal, involuntary event that many boys and young men experience during puberty.

The monthly series of hormonal changes in which the uterus thickens its lining and then sheds it as bleeding if pregnancy does not occur, typically lasting about 28 days.

The shedding of the uterine lining through the vagina, appearing as blood flow for a few days each cycle, and starting at puberty in most girls.

The release of a mature egg from an ovary, usually about midway through the menstrual cycle, after which the egg can be fertilized for roughly a day.

The joining of a sperm cell and an egg cell, usually inside a fallopian tube, which creates a zygote and is the first step toward pregnancy.

The male reproductive cell, produced in the testes, that can swim toward an egg and fertilize it. Millions are released in each ejaculation.

The female reproductive cell, also called an egg, released from an ovary during ovulation and carrying half the genetic material needed to form a new person.

The fluid released from the penis during ejaculation, which carries sperm along with fluids from glands that nourish and protect them.

The external female genital area, including the labia, clitoris, and vaginal opening. It protects the internal reproductive organs and is sensitive to touch.

The elastic muscular canal inside the female body that connects the cervix to the outside, allowing menstrual flow, sexual intercourse, and childbirth.

The narrow lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. It produces mucus, widens during childbirth, and is checked in cervical cancer screening.

A hollow muscular organ in the pelvis where a fertilized egg implants and a fetus develops during pregnancy. Its lining is shed during menstruation.

The external male organ through which urine leaves the body and semen is ejaculated. It becomes erect when blood fills its spongy tissue.

The pouch of skin behind the penis that holds the testes and keeps them slightly cooler than body temperature, which sperm production requires.

Two oval glands in the scrotum that produce sperm and the hormone testosterone. They are the main male reproductive organs.

Surgical removal of the foreskin covering the tip of the penis, usually done shortly after birth for religious, cultural, or health reasons.

Practices that keep the body clean and healthy, such as daily washing of the genital area, changing sanitary pads, and washing hands, especially during puberty when sweating increases.

Managing monthly bleeding safely and comfortably by using clean pads, tampons, or cups, changing them regularly, and washing the body and hands properly.

How a person thinks and feels about their own body, which can be influenced by peers, family, and media images and often shifts during puberty.

A person's overall sense of their own worth and value. It affects confidence, choices, and how someone responds to pressure or criticism.

A clear, freely given yes to a sexual or intimate act. It must be informed, voluntary, and can be withdrawn at any time; silence or pressure is not consent.

A limit a person sets about what they are comfortable with physically, emotionally, or socially. Boundaries should be stated clearly and respected by others.

Communicating your needs, opinions, and limits directly and respectfully without attacking others or giving in to pressure.

The ability to say no clearly and confidently to unwanted requests or pressure, using strategies such as direct statements, reasons, leaving, or suggesting alternatives.

The influence friends and classmates have on your choices, which can push you toward risky behavior or, positively, toward healthy habits.

A step-by-step process of identifying a choice, listing options and consequences, weighing values, deciding, and reviewing the result.

Pressuring, tricking, or forcing someone into an act they do not want, such as through threats, guilt, or repeated demands. It makes true consent impossible.

An infection passed between people through sexual contact, caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Many have no visible symptoms and need testing for diagnosis.

Human immunodeficiency virus, which attacks the immune system and can lead to AIDS if untreated. It spreads through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

A thin sheath worn over the penis during sex that reduces the risk of pregnancy and many STIs, including HIV, when used correctly every time.

Methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy, such as condoms, pills, injections, and implants. Only condoms also protect against most STIs.

The period when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus and develops into a fetus, usually lasting about nine months until birth.

Shared social expectations about how girls and boys, women and men should look, feel, and behave. They vary across cultures and can limit personal choice.

An oversimplified belief that all people of one gender share certain traits or roles, such as the idea that boys should not show emotion.

The principle that people of all genders deserve the same rights, opportunities, respect, and freedom to make decisions about their own lives.

The skill of analyzing messages in media and advertising, questioning their purpose and accuracy, and recognizing how they shape attitudes about bodies, gender, and relationships.

Sending or receiving sexually explicit messages or images by phone or online. Images can be shared without permission, so it carries lasting privacy and legal risks.

Health or counseling services that keep a young person's information private, sharing it only when there is a serious risk to safety.

A parent, guardian, teacher, counselor, or other responsible person a young person can turn to for accurate information, support, and help with problems.

Actively asking for information, support, or protection from a trusted person or service when facing a problem such as bullying, abuse, or a health concern.

A medical check, often of blood or urine, that shows whether a person has an infection such as HIV or another STI, sometimes before any symptoms appear.