<prompt> Puberty is said to be delayed in girls, if secondary sexual characteristic fail to appear by:10 years12 years13 years14 years  <response>: Ans. D. 14 yearsDelayed puberty is defined as lack of secondary sexual characteristics by the age of 14 years. Absence of menarche by the age of 16 years or 5 years after pubertal onset also indicates pubertal delay. Delayed puberty may be caused by defects in the hypothalamic- pituitary axis, ovaries or genital tract. Patients with anatomical defects present with amenorrhea with normal breast development. Defects in the hypothalamic- pituitary axis are associated with low gonadotropin levels hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This may be related to reversible causes like systemic diseases, malnutrition, eating disorders, hyperprolactinemia and hypothyroidism. 