Last updated on October 11, 2020
Question:
Hi,
I’m a 19-year-old boy. I have a question about the stage of puberty that I am in (stage 4 or stage 5). I took the Tanner stage calculator and I got 4.5, but I didn’t fill all the information.
My confusion lies in three aspects: hair growth, height growth, depth of the voice and the timing of puberty.
In terms of hair growth, I can only grow a few chin hairs and few hairs on my face, despite my family, brother, and all males relatives, are able to grow decent beards. My arm and leg hair are not as noticeable as my other relatives and a lot of other males.
In terms of my height growth, I have grown the most at 15-16 years old (from 5’2 to 5’6.5), I grew 1.5 inches between 17 and 18 years old and reached 5’8. I stopped growing at 18 for an entire year, and then I suddenly shoot up to 5’10 at the start of being 19 years old.
In terms of the depth of my voice, my voice is definitely deeper and stronger; however, it still breaks at times. It is not as deep as my father’s voice.
My chest hair is barely noticeable and has very thin small hair.
In terms of timing of development, I had my first wet dream at around 16 years old. My sex drive didn’t appear until I was 18 years old. I also lost a lot of weight at 18 years old. My first chin hair appeared at 18 years old. I didn’t experience the mood swings of puberty until I was 15 or 16. I didn’t a strong growth spurt before 15 at all. Also, my pubic hair reaches my thighs; however, I have never shaved my pubic hair.
Based on all this information, I think that I am in the middle of stage 4, and I will probably reach stage 5 by age 20, but I would like your opinion.
Answer:
You would be considered a late-bloomer. You went through stage 3 when you were 15-17. You’ve been in stage 4 since your late 17 years of age. Being in stage 4, you started developing muscles, which caused you to lose weight.
It is common for males to not develop a full beard until several years after reaching stage 5. It also can take several years for the voice to settle permanently in its lower range.
Thus, I would agree that probably by the time you are twenty (roughly), you will reach stage 5, if not sooner.