The nurse is completing a physical assessment of an adolescent male. Which assessment finding is consistent with secondary sex characteristics in an adolescent male?

A. Enlargement of mamillary tissue is not a typical secondary sex characteristic in adolescent males. Although some adolescent males may experience temporary breast tissue enlargement (gynecomastia) due to hormonal fluctuations during puberty, this finding is usually transient and not considered a normal or defining secondary sex characteristic of male sexual development. B. Completion of skeletal growth occurs at the end of adolescence or early adulthood, after epiphyseal plates close. Puberty is marked by rapid skeletal growth rather than the completion of growth, so this finding does not reflect a secondary sex characteristic. C. Increase in height and weight is a hallmark of secondary sex characteristics in adolescent males. Rising levels of testosterone and growth hormone during puberty lead to a growth spurt, increased muscle mass, changes in body composition, and overall increases in height and weight. These changes are indirect results of sexual maturation and are therefore classified as secondary sex characteristics. D. Enlargement of the testes represents a primary sex characteristic. Primary sex characteristics involve direct development and maturation of the reproductive organs necessary for reproduction, which occur earlier in puberty and are distinct from secondary characteristics such as body size, voice changes, and hair distribution.