Last updated on April 18, 2022
Question:
I’m very confused about what Tanner Stage I am in because the calculator puts me at 3.7 when it says I’m having rapid growth but on my height chart I have only grown 3 inches in the past 3 years from 12-15. I’m 15 and 5’10. When I started puberty, I was 12 at 5’7. My parents are fairly tall at 5’5 (mother) and 6’2 (father). I have taller relatives on my mom’s side. Even though the calculator puts me at 3.7, I haven’t noticed any growth for the past 6-7 months besides penis growth. I’m still very stocky — the same as when I was a kid. I have some arm hair, almost no facial hair, no Adam’s apple, and my pubic hair is the same as when I was 12. I have pretty long arms and legs for my height. My friends who used to be shorter than me and now are either as tall or taller than me. Does not everyone get a growth spurt?
Answer:
I believe the confusion is coming from when you decided you started puberty. For boys, puberty is considered as starting when the first external signs of change begin — not when you first noticed that you are changing but when the first signs actually show up. You mentioned you had pubic hair at age 12. That tells me that you had reached puberty at least a year or two before age 12. You also mention that you have long arms and legs, which indicates that you had gone through a growth spurt. You also mentioned being 5’7 at age 12, which is yet another indication that you had a growth spurt before then. Finally, you said you were taller than many of your friends and that they have now caught up with you. That indicates you had an early growth spurt.
My guess is that the main part of your growth spurt took place when you were 11 or 12.
I can’t tell you if the calculator is incorrect or if you answered some of the questions incorrectly since I can’t see you in order to compare observations.