Last updated on November 7, 2024
Question:
I am 4 feet 10 inches. I am nearly 15. I have facial hair growing, though I have not shaved yet. I feel my muscles getting bigger, and my voice has deepened. However, I haven’t had a growth spurt. I have always been the shortest in my class anyway. I scored 3.3 on the Tanner Stage Calculator. So, I was wondering why I haven’t had a growth spurt when others have. Will I have one, and how much do you think I can grow if my parents are of average height? Does this make me a late bloomer so I could catch up?
Answer:
The normal range for stage 3 is to start somewhere between ages 10 and 17. The average boy starts at age 13.5. Thus, you are about a year behind the average but well within the normal range. A late bloomer usually doesn’t even show signs of puberty until after age 14, and you don’t have that particular problem.
It sounds like you’ll be experiencing your growth spurt soon, probably within the next six months. Every boy doesn’t get a dramatic rate of growth, but your growth per year will be greater than two inches a year. You can use one of the calculators at Predicting Your Adult Height to figure out what your final height will be.