If the delayed puberty is inherited, no treatment is usually needed. In some cases, treatment may be done with hormone therapy. This helps to cause secondary sexual characteristics to occur. In other cases, surgery may be done to correct a physical problem.
Puberty won't begin until hormones released by the pituitary gland in your brain tell your body that its time. You may sometimes wish that you could start puberty faster. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to control the timing of puberty.
Key takeaways: The term “late bloomer” refers to a child who goes through puberty later than their peers. Constitutional growth delay, the medical term for this condition, runs in families. Late bloomers will catch up on their growth and have standard adult height, although it may take a little extra time and patience.
Delayed puberty affects about 2% of adolescents. Most commonly, puberty may be delayed for several years and still occur normally, in which case it is considered constitutional delay of growth and puberty, a common variation of healthy physical development.
But it's perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys. There's not usually any need to worry if puberty does not start around the average age, but it's a good idea to speak to your GP for advice if it starts before 8 or has not started by around 14.
Causes of Delayed Puberty
Some kids just develop later than others - what we call a “late bloomer.” This has a medical name: “Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty.” In many of these cases, late puberty runs in the family. Puberty will eventually happen in these children and overall development is normal.
Delayed puberty may also negatively affect adult psychosocial functioning and educational achievement, and individuals with a history of delayed puberty carry a higher risk for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
Most often, children simply develop later than their peers but ultimately develop normally. Sometimes, delayed puberty is caused by chronic medical problems, hormonal disorders, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, disordered eating or excessive exercise, genetic disorders, tumors, and certain infections.
Boys can start puberty at a wide range of ages, with 95% starting between the ages of 9 and 14, so we consider puberty delayed when it has not started by age 14. The earliest sign of puberty in boys is enlargement of the testicles, followed by growth of the penis and pubic hair.
Delayed puberty may run in families. However, delayed puberty may also be due to chromosomal abnormalities, genetic disorders, chronic illnesses, or tumors that damage the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus in the brain, which make hormones that regulate sexual maturation.
Some health problems and being underweight can cause delayed puberty. Less commonly, a problem with hormones causes it.
In hypogonadotropic hypogonadism puberty can be initiated by the use of pulsatile GnRH, gonadotropins, and sex steroids. Sex steroids will induce development of the secondary sex characteristics alone, while combined administration of gonadotropins and GnRH may induce gonadal development including fertility.
Speed development increases during puberty. Most children - both boys and girls - experience an acceleration in speed development during this stage. Such improvement may relate to increases in body and muscle size. Strength gains positively influence speed development.
What Causes Late Puberty? Often, there isn't an obvious cause of delayed puberty. Sometimes it can be traced to a family genetic tendency. Other times it may be a mystery as to why your child might be a late bloomer.
it is the same probability for everyone except if you are malnourished during puberty… the average growth assuming this is male is 2–3 inches per year for 2 years. although I was also a late bloomer and grew a little over 4 inches per year for 2 years.
There are people who flourish later on. Late bloomers exist in all fields. And because their “lateness” is relative they exist at all ages.
Puberty in women normally occurs between 11 and 14 years of age. If a child reaches a particular weight (around 45 kg or 100 lb), the onset of puberty is triggered. The heavier the child, the earlier puberty occurs, possibly affecting risk of later disease.
Frequently overweight and obese children are taller for their age and sex and tend to mature earlier than lean children. The increased leptin and sex hormone levels seen in obese children with excessive adiposity may be implicated in accelerated pubertal growth and accelerated epiphyseal growth plate maturation.
On average, boys reach puberty later than girls, and researchers have found that the differences in the onset of puberty could explain around half of the gender differences in grades. “Pupils who reach puberty earlier perform better. This applies to both boys and girls.
Delayed puberty may also negatively affect adult psychosocial functioning and educational achievement, and individuals with a history of delayed puberty carry a higher risk for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
As mentioned in one of the articles one good way to see if you still have growth potential is to X-ray a wrist- the test is called a Pediatric Bone Age. It will show if your growth plates are still open. A doctor can also request lab tests- checking for hormones- such as thyroid, growth hormone and sex hormones.