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.
Sometimes, treatment of a related health problem can stop the precocious puberty. But in most cases, there's no other disease, so treatment usually involves hormone therapy to stop sexual development. The currently approved hormone treatment is with drugs called LHRH analogs.
Rarely, certain conditions, such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries, may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development.
Boys with chronic illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease, sickle cell disease, or cystic fibrosis often mature late. A smaller number of boys with delayed puberty have a lifelong deficiency of the puberty hormones LH and FSH, a problem we call isolated gonadotropin deficiency (IGD).
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.
Even if you hit puberty late, you're unlikely to grow significantly after the ages of 18 to 20 . Most boys reach their peak height around the age of 16. However, men still develop in other ways well into their twenties.
The average age for girls to start puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12. 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.
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.
On the other hand, negative causes such as increased stress and obesity have also been linked to early puberty. Researchers are also exploring whether endocrine-disrupting chemicals — such as bisphenol A, an estrogen-mimicking compound once found widely in plastics — might be a factor in initiating puberty.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence that drinking milk causes early puberty. In the United States, girls are entering puberty at younger ages than they were in the first half of the 20th century. Researchers do not know the exact trigger for early-onset puberty, although it is likely influenced by many factors.
The type of protein that children eat, especially during the crucial period of kindergarten 5-6 years old, seems to determine when they begin puberty. Children who ate a lot of animal protein at that age (meat, eggs, and dairy) started puberty a year earlier than those who ate a lot of plant-based protein.
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.
Puberty starts when a part of your child's brain called the hypothalamus begins producing a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The hypothalamus sends GnRH to another part of the brain called the pituitary gland.
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.
Usually, these changes begin between the ages of 8 and 14 for girls, and between 9 and 15 for guys. This wide range in age is normal, and it's why you may develop several years earlier (or later) than most of your friends.
Guys start producing spermatozoa (or sperm, for short) at the onset of puberty. Puberty starts at different times for different people. Boys usually start puberty when they're around 10 or 12 years old, though some start a little sooner and others a little later.
Boys tend to show the first physical changes of puberty between the ages of 10 and 16. They tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls. By age 16, most boys have stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.
You were likely a late bloomer if you started puberty later, hit your own growth spurt as an older teen, or didn't get your first period until you were older than 14. Your child's healthcare provider will ask about family history to figure out if your child may be a late bloomer.
Testosterone can help trigger puberty by stimulating the growth of facial, pubic, and underarm hair, as well as growth of the penis and testicles. It can also cause the voice to deepen. This medication is injected into a muscle on the arm or leg once a month.
If the delayed puberty is inherited, no treatment is usually necessary. In some cases, treatment may involve hormone therapy to stimulate the development of secondary sexual characteristics, or surgery to correct an anatomical problem.
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.