Last updated on September 14, 2020
Question:
Hi,
I am worried about my height and not growing any taller. I am a male who is 16 years old. At age 13, I was 4’8″, at age 14 I was 4’10”, at age 15 I was 5’0″, and my height now is only 5’3″. Yeah, I know that I am short. My Dad is 5’7″ and my Mom is 5’0″.
Will I be able to hit a big growth spurt? I’ve always wondered if I will. I have always been one of the smallest in every single class I have been in at school. I would hate it if I stayed at this height.
I have only just started to get a bit armpit hair; it is nowhere near fully grown. I don’t even have my Adam’s apple yet. I have some hairs on my legs and arms. I barely have facial hair. My hands and feet are small though. My voice squeaks sometimes.
I hope I have described myself enough to you so you can give me definite or close calculation and maybe tell me if I will grow more and if it will increase rapidly.
Thank you.
Answer:
Notice that you have been growing 2 inches per year, until this year. Your current rate is 3 inches per year. This tells me you have entered stage 3 and are about to begin your growth spurt. The average male has a growth spurt at 13, so you are later than most — what most people call a late bloomer.
Beyond that, I can’t tell you much. You can use the Tanner Stage Calculator to get an estimate about where you are at. I can’t tell you if your answers are accurate or not because I can only go by what you say. I can’t see if what you are saying is accurate or not.