delayed puberty

[yogi_1993]

Iam 15 years old of height of nearly 5 feet. I have not been physically matured. I still have shrill voice and this hurts me a lot and this makes me shy to talk in public via mic or phone. I've some small hairs on my armpit and some pubic hairs. My father got matured at an age 18. If the delayed puberty is due to gentetics what can i do to undergo this? Can i take any medicines? wat diet must i have? Please help me.

[PaulK9378]

Hey, Yogi. First, take a deep breath and relax. From what you describe you're perfectly normal. Boys (and girls) develop at different rates. One of the worst things you can do is to compare yourself to others to determine if you're normal. Is a boy with blonde hair "not normal" because all the rest of the boys in his class have brown hair? Of course not. That's normal for him.

Boys can begin puberty anywhere between the ages of 9 and 14. Although you sound like you're toward the later end you're still normal. Also, height and puberty don't necessarily start or finish at the same time, so it doesn't do a lot of good to gauge one by the other. The other thing is, some guys are just "late bloomers" and yes, that can be genetic. There is nothing you should do to speed it up. Doctors won't even consider doing anything about it unless you're 18 and haven't started puberty yet. Your description tells me that you have.

I know of two brothers. One was 4'8" when he was a junior in high school and had no pubic hair at all. The younger one was taller and he was only in 8th grade and also had some pubic hair. Imagine how scared the older one was thinking that there was something wrong with him. As adults, he is now 5 inches taller than his younger brother and has more hair on his chest than his brother has on his head! If you haven't guessed, the late bloomer was me. That's why I've spent my life studying adolescent male development and made it a point to help guys with questions like yours.

I looked at the growth charts to see where you fit. Yes, you are in the lowest five percent for your age when compared to others. But, that's just a guide. If you follow a "normal" curve (whatever that is) you can expect to be 5'4"-5'5" as an adult. But that's just based on averages. Remember I told you I was 4'8" at your age and now I'm 5'10. Another (not so scientific and reliable) way we sometimes determine what your adult height will be is to take your Dad's height in inches (5 feet = 60, 6 feet =72), add that to your Mom's height, divide by two, and add two inches (girls subtract two). As I said, it's not very reliable, but it's a good guess. (Of course, it's only your biological parents that matter).

If you're really that concerned, there is a scientific and reliable way to tell. By taking an x-ray of your wrist (yes, your wrist) your doctor can tell how much growing you have left. It has to do with the amount of space left in your wrist bone growth plates, but I won't bore you with the scientific mumbo-jumbo. You can express your concern to your doctor and if he/she determines that it's warranted, it's a very simple procedure.

Good luck and feel free to post any more questions or email me directly.

[Cherie762]

Hi Yogi..you should see a general practioner first..just for a good check up,,then the specialist I think you should see would be an endrocrinologist..they may agree to give you hch...curious how tall is your father now?  lots of boys/men grown in height in their late teens even early 20s..

As for diet just eat to optimise health..lots of fruits and vegtables,,cant eat too much of those,,2 or 3 servings of protein per day and whole grains..dairy..yougert..milk etc is good for the bones..eliminate white flour..sugar and caffine..limit fats...olive oil is one fat that is heart healthy its good to dip bread into or to use on veggies ..all other oils and butters limit.