Expert: John Locke - 2/3/2008

Question
Hi, my names austin, and i was wondering about going through puberty.  I am 15 years old and a freshman in high school. but i havent gone through puberty yet.  i am a head shorter than most my friends and i do not have any hair other than my head.  there is a little tad bit on the base of my penis.  i am wondering if i have a hormone problem or something? help.

Answer
Thanks for using AllExperts, Austin. You may have heard or been told that not everyone experiences puberty at the same time, or as quickly, as everybody else--and that's entirely true. The mere fact that you're 15 and have not yet gone through puberty does not mean that you're abnormal, and you should not feel that you are. If you go to see a doctor about this, he might tell you that you have a condition known as "constitutional delay," which is exactly what it sounds like--a medical term for the fact that some people develop later than others. It isn't a disease in the way that measles is a disease; it's more like a descriptive term for something that doctors see all the time (and yes, you'd be surprised at how many people don't experience puberty at the "normal" time). The preferred treatment, by the way, is simply to wait for puberty to occur.

Doctors have good reason for not prescribing hormones when puberty is delayed slightly: taking growth hormones at this point in your life could severely damage your normal development, and that can be very problematic. Now, there are certain genetic conditions that can cause delayed puberty, and you may find some peace of mind by discussing this with your doctor (who, by the way, is required to keep confidential what you discuss with him). All conditions that cause delayed puberty, by the way, are very rare, and it is much more likely that you'll develop normally some time soon. It's also possible to delay puberty by having very little body fat: adolescent athletes may find that their puberty is delayed. That can be reversed by less strenuous exercise and proper diet, and it is not

All of this might seem little comfort to someone who is uncertain and confused. To that, let me tell you that the mere fact of your being shorter than your classmates does not reflect on you, personally. It does not mean that you're abnormal, and it does not mean that you need to worry about it. You may find information from the websites below to be of some use. Good luck.

http://www.medicinenet.com/puberty/
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Puberty.cfm
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/adolescent/puberty.html