Last updated on February 13, 2025
Question:
Hello,
I wanted to ask you some questions about my growth because I am starting to become very nervous and worried about it.
First, here is some info about me: I am 14 and about to turn 15. I noticed my first changes of puberty at around 11 years old or maybe 10. If I remember correctly, I had one hair that started growing very slowly. I don’t remember at which age that occurred. I don’t know if it is necessarily a sign of puberty because this was the single hair and the only change in my body I noticed. I recently took a puberty test, and it said that I am at stage 4.3. I started to grow rapidly at around 12 years old. Since I turned 14, I have been the same height of 5 feet and 9 inches or 176 cm. I weigh 64 kg or 141 lb.
I wanted to ask if I am done growing or in some growth break. When I was about 14, I noticed that my height increase suddenly dropped. My height has been pretty much the same since then, except for this one instance last summer where I grew half a centimeter or 0.2 in height in a couple of days. I strictly measure myself in the evening and stand about 10 minutes before that, so I can assure you that this data is without any spine or leg decompression. I have been the same height for a year (starting from my 14th birthday). Is there some growth break that will resume again to normal? If so, how long does it take until I will be able to grow again? Or is my body preparing for another big “spurt”?
I know that there is only one major growth spurt during puberty, but the phases of rapid growth that I and many others are usually referred to as growth spurts, although they aren’t literally spurts. I wanted to clear up some confusion when we say “growth spurts.” Anyway, my doctor said that during adolescence, a boy has two big “spurts,” the bigger one in the early half of puberty and the other one in the other half of puberty. I also heard from another doctor that when we reach tanner 5, we usually have one year of growth left and that we grow until 17-18 years of age. I would like to know if this information is correct.
Last question, what are my chances are that I will still grow 3-4 inches, would it be possible for me?
Thank you for your feedback!
Answer:
Each individual has variations in his growth. I can discuss what a typical boy will experience, but your actual experiences may be slightly different. Assuming that the estimate is accurate and you are in the first half of stage 4, you still have another year and a half before your growth will end since the stages last roughly two years. During stage 4, boys tend to grow an additional 1 to 3 inches. Most of that growth will come near the beginning of stage 4 and then gradually taper off until it stops at stage 5.
Growth in height stops at the start of stage 5. That is the definition of stage 5. However, that doesn’t mean development stops. There are still things that mature even after you reach stage 5, such as your brain development.
Stage 3 is the phase when you grow the most. However, the growth can show up differently with different boys. Some grow very fast in a few months; others grow a bit faster, but it is spread out over stage 3; still others have a series of bursts with pauses in between.
Stage 4 is when growth slows back down and then eventually stops when you reach stage 5.
Measuring daily is not useful. The differences tend to be slight. Typically, we discuss the amount of growth you had since last year.
Question:
Hello,
I started Tanner Stage 4 at around 14.5 years old because that is the time when your armpit hair usually starts to grow, and acne may appear; that happened at 14 years. According to the test, I am at Tanner stage 4.3, but as you said, I am supposed to grow another 3 inches during Tanner Stage 4. During all this time, I haven’t grown in height at all. Could it be that another “spurt” is awaiting?
What are the typical signs for Tanner Stage 5?
Answer:
Actually, armpit hair typically appears about halfway through stage 3. Acne can appear in stage 3 but usually gets worse during stage 4. What I said before is that boys typically grow 1 to 3 inches more during stage 4. Most boys don’t get an extra three inches. Growth during stage 4 is slower. You’ll just have to be patient.
The characteristics of stage 5 are listed in Stage 5 – Adulthood.
Question:
Hello,
Thank you, but I have one last question. As I already said, a doctor told me that you typically have one more year of growth when you reach Tanner Stage 5. You are saying that you stop growing when you reach Tanner Stage 5. Do you abruptly stop growing or, as my doctor said, still have some time of growth left, which gradually tapers off at Tanner Stage 5?
Answer:
The original stages developed by Dr. Tanner are based on genital development and pubic hair growth. Stage 1 is defined as childhood (pre-puberty). Stage 5 is defined as adulthood. Stage 3 is the rapid growth phase. Dr. Tanner aimed to develop a way for doctors to observe external changes to estimate a child’s development closely. None of the observations are precise. While stage 5 is when growth in height stops, there are continued growth in shoulders, muscles, and brain development. What your doctor is saying is that even though he might conclude from your pubic hair and genitals that you have reached stage 5, he might be off a bit, and he gave himself an error range of being up to a year off.
Your fastest growth occurs in stage 3. In stage 4, that growth gradually slows down. Technically, when that growth in height stops, you’ve reached stage 5, but the estimates can be slightly off. Even so, the amount of growth you’ll see is minor since it is approaching a full stop anyway.
This is why the calculator on this site uses multiple development scales to give a weighted average. My aim is to be within 0.25 (six months) of where you actually are in your development. Thus, it is possible to get a 5.0 on the calculator and still grow a bit in height for the next few months.
Response:
Thank you for the information!