Last updated on March 10, 2022
Question:
Hi,
I’m a 15-year-old boy and I’m only 5’0.5″ (154.6 cm). My mom is 5’0 (150 cm) and dad is about 5’7 (169 cm). I haven’t pretty much grown an inch since Oct 2020. That was when I noticed I was taller than my mom. So because of this, I visited my doctor and he said I’m in stage 3 (based on testicular volume, 8-10 mL) and haven’t hit peak height velocity (PHV) yet. He says the maximal growth occurs in stage 4 and said I will be average height and not short. But I don’t believe him since I already have a lot of facial hair (beard hair, sideburns started to grow around Sept 2021). I haven’t also had any time when I grew rapidly. I used the website’s calculator and it said I’m in stage 3.7 but again I don’t really know whether to believe it or not. Do some changes happen early in puberty, like in my case facial hair, or does it only happens in stage 5? Or do genetics decide the timing when different changes will happen? Also, my voice is literally the same since was when I was 11. (If this info is useful, I look literally exactly like my dad. If that’s the case, will I grow as tall as him?)
Answer:
Just because you favor another person, it doesn’t mean you will be exactly the same height. You are a mixture of your dad’s and your mom’s genes, so there will be differences between you and your dad.
The traditional Tanner stage definition has stage 3 being the time leading up to peak growth and stage 4 when peak growth slows back down. I always found that definition awkward to measure. I found and use an alternative definition that has stage 3 being the period where peak growth occurs and stage 4 is when the growth returns to childhood speeds (or less). Regardless, everything points to you being in stage 3 except for your facial hair. I can’t comment on the other external characteristics, since I can’t see you.
I would have to conclude that you just happen to have genetic traits that allowed your facial hair to grow sooner than most guys. I assume your body hair matches someone of your stage of development.
It is not unusual for a boy in early stage 3 to pause in growth as his body works on internal organs before he has a rapid growth spurt.