Question:
Hi,
I have a concern about the Tanner Stages. I’ve read many questions people have asked, but not all are specific about each stage.
Firstly, stage 3 is separated into small, different stages, which are 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5. So when does a growth spurt happen? And if it’s in that stage, does it happen immediately, or do you have to wait for a moment? And in typical cases, how long does each of them last?
Secondly, I got a Tanner score of around 3.2-3.4 (I’m not really sure, but it’s around that), and my back seems somewhat proportionate with my legs, except that my arms are long. I have never had a growth spurt as well; just gradually grew 5-4cm/year.
I have a sitting height of 82.7cm and a leg length of 83.5.
I’m 166 cm at almost 16 and entered puberty at 13. My parents are 166 for dad and 154 for mom (additionally, I’ve got taller relatives with my uncles on both sides, who are 5’11 and 6′, and my cousins are in the range of 5’11 above as well).
Thirdly, my penis growth seems rather weird as the girth when flaccid is already 10 cm, but the length when flaccid is just 8.5cm. But when erect, the girth is lower than a length by 1 cm.
Next, I get very hungry every time after school, both when I don’t play sports and when I do at school. But my body fat is quite normal as I play basketball for a team. I wonder if my body is storing fat for growth or if I have a fast metabolism. The other sign is that I sweat a lot after just playing for 10 minutes.
Answer:
Dr. Tanner set up his stages broadly. Stages 2, 3, and 4 are roughly two years long for boys. When I set up the calculator, I wanted a finer division. You could look at the calculator as computing the percentage of traits for the end of that stage that has been reached. Thus, each half-stage is about a year long. Each quarter stage is about 6 months long.
The traits listed for a stage (see Development Stages) occur during the course of the stage. Growth spurts more often happen in the middle of stage 3, but technically, they can happen anytime during the stage. What “fuels” the growth spurt is the lengthening of the legs. Your arms have started to lengthen, so I suspect your legs won’t be far behind. In fact, your legs are already longer than your trunk. That would indicate that it has started.
The measurement of the penis is always done when erect. How much it expands varies a lot between guys. It is common for a long, flaccid penis to expand only a little bit and a short flaccid penis to expand a lot. The length of your penis grows most during stage 3. The girth will grow more during stage 4. Your current observations are normal.
Since you play sports and are muscular, your body consumes a lot of calories, both for growth and because of your muscles. Growth and muscles also produce a lot of heat, which is why you sweat a lot and don’t have to dress as warmly as your parents do.