Question:
Hey Mr. Hamilton,
Just an update: since I know this is your field of expertise, I wanted to share my development experience after stumbling upon this old email. Firstly, I want to thank you, as your website was a big deal for me during my development and also my research into this field, as it was one of the only reliable resources. I also appreciate you taking the time to reply to my email when I was only 14.
As it turns out, the Tanner predictions from your site were pretty accurate; in April 2020, I was 5’6 at around Tanner 4.2. I stopped growing in December 2020 at 5’6.5, and for a few years I thought it would resume, but when it didn’t, I gave up hope, since there wasn’t much I could do to change it anyway. However, my growth paused during the Tanner 3.0 to 3.7 segment (ages 12.2 to 13). To be honest, I’m not 100% certain why that happened for an entire year, right when I was supposed to grow the fastest, but I do have a theory, which I will propose later in the email. From Tanner 2.0 to Tanner 3.0, my growth rate continued to accelerate, then stopped at Tanner 3.0 and resumed from Tanner 3.7 to 4.5 at a slower pace. Perhaps my Age of Peak Height Velocity was slightly skewed earlier, occurring from Tanner 2.5 to 3.0; however, it seemed more likely that my APHV should have occurred at Tanner 3.0, since from Tanner 2 to 3 I grew only 5 inches in 2 years. To test this, I observed my younger brother’s growth patterns to see whether he had a similar experience, and he didn’t. As I said in my previous email, he grew at the same rate I did from Tanner 2 to 3, climbing about 5 inches, but then from Tanner 3 to 4, his growth pace continued. He went from 5’2.5 to 5’6.5 in a bit more than a year, and when Tanner 4 started, he grew about 1.25 more inches, ending up at 5’7.75. His growth rate completely followed the normal trajectory. We also hit each Tanner Stage at roughly the same age, with Tanner 3 symptoms starting for both of us in the summer before seventh grade.
After observing this, my conclusion and theory is that something may have influenced or disrupted my pubertal development at Tanner 3 at a hormonal level, causing my growth to pause for an entire year. What corroborates this suspicion is that I also developed a voice condition around this time as well, known as Muscle Tension Dysphonia, and upon doing some research, besides the symptoms predominantly occurring among older people, it can also occur among some boys going through puberty. Since Muscle Tension Dysphonia is a result of hormonal imbalances, it would make sense that during puberty, during one of the most volatile segments of your life where your hormones are fluctuating very dynamically, it would also be susceptible to disruption, perhaps coming from the environment, which would interfere with the operations that specifically pertain to androgens, such as voice and height. I also believe my growth of about 2.25 inches in the first year of Tanner 4, after not growing for a year, was likely my body’s last-ditch effort to give me height right before my growth plates inevitably fused.
That is all from me; I just wanted to share my experience since I spent a great deal of time occupied with this topic from 2019 to 2021, and I’m curious about your thoughts on this, but if you do not reply, that’s okay as well, as you have helped me more than enough throughout these years.
Thanks.
Answer:
I’m always interested to hear how things turn out. It helps me help the next boy who asks similar questions.
A hormonal disruption is possible, but finding the source would be difficult, especially now that it is after the fact. You are correct that when something does interfere with growth, the body tries to make up for lost ground.
I’m glad you are doing well.
Response:
Hey Mr. Hamilton,
Thank you for your response. I pray God blesses you, your family, and your ministry.
Thanks.