Final answer:
During childhood, the adrenal and sex glands are inactive due to high negative feedback sensitivity of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. With the onset of puberty and a decrease in this sensitivity alongside increased gonad sensitivity to gonadotropins, there is a rise in androgen production, leading to the activation of these glands and the development of sexual characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The glands that become relatively inactive during childhood and then activated during puberty with the rise in androgen production are the adrenal and sex glands as part of adrenarche and gonadarche, respectively. In prepubertal children, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are highly sensitive to the negative feedback of androgens and estrogens. This keeps hormones such as GnRH, LH, and FSH, at low levels, thus maintaining the inactivity of the gonads. During puberty, this sensitivity to negative feedback decreases and gonads become more sensitive to gonadotropins, leading to increased levels of LH and FSH which trigger the enlargement and maturation of the gonads. As a result, there is a surge in sex steroid hormones leading to the activation of dormant stem cells for the production of viable sperm in males and the start of ovulation and menstruation in females. Primary sexual characteristics important for reproduction as well as secondary sexual characteristics also develop during this time.