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Did I stop growing? What can a teen do to grow taller?
I’m 14 years old and have been 5’6 for about a few months now and I’m not sure if I should be worried or not. I hit my first growth spurt back in 4th grade when I was 4’9 and grew, by the time I was in 6th grade I was 5’1 . Then 7th grade came and I grew 5 more inches. By the time the pandemic started I was 5’6. I started 8th grade and finished 8th grade (currently about to go to 9th) and still haven’t grown a single inch. The doctor says I have a lot of testosterone and should be exercising more so I did but no signs of growth yet. Is there a certain exercise or medication or any remedies I can take to increase my height or maximize it?
Community Director's note
Learn more with Dr. Siobhan Pittock, pediatric endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in this podcast:
How do kids grow? - Mayo Clinic Press
"The best we can do is take good care of our kids so they grow to their maximum potential: make sure they get plenty of sleep, eat a nutritious diet, and have healthy, realistic expectations."
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@zetrovess
Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!
Your concern is a fairly common one.
Since puberty doesn’t start at the same age for everyone, it’s difficult to compare yourself to others.
It sounds as if you are in the middle of puberty- obviously a doctor can calculate this better by watching your growth pattern and findings on a physical exam.
You are not done growing- probably at least a couple of more years- some grow up to 20.
If you want more precise answers, you can ask your doctor.
There have been many discussions and posts on this subject - growth. Here is a link to one of them. You can also search for growth in this support group.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/am-i-still-growing/
Hey, im in the same situation as you, did you ever grow since 2022?
I'm a 16 year old male, I've had concerns about my height due to under-sizing in my sport. I currently stand at 5'9 1/2. My father is 6' and my mother is 5'5. No male is shorter than 6' on both sides of my parents families. I was 5' in the 6th grade. I had grown during covid from 5' to 5'9. I haven't grown since, maybe an inch and a half give or take. Younger cousins have passed me at aged 11 with significantly shorter parents. I feel as if my body is half developed. I still have tiny hands as I did when I was in the 5th grade. I have minimal body hair compared to my parents which are both naturally hairy people. Though I have been through majority of puberty since I was 12. It's been almost 4 years since I've seen any bodily change in my stature even after dieting. Not sure how accurate doctors' estimates are, but when I was born, I was estimated 6'1 to 6'3. In 2021 the doctors projected me at 6'2-6'4 by the end of my growth. I was always the biggest kids in all my classes and it's quite odd to be considered amongst average to many but short to my family. I'd like to get opinions before I see a doctor.
Hello! I am a 14-year-old female, who hit puberty early in 4th grade. I am currently 5'2 with my mother being 5'3 and my father being around 6'1-6'2, I had a big growth spurt around 3rd to 4th grade having no noticeable changes (in height) since 5th grade. I have a feeling that I've probably stopped growing, but I just wanted confirmation.
Im in a very similar situation except my parents are 5’11 and 5’3 and i do sports and sometimes lift weights. Has anything changed for you since then?
I am 5'9, 15 year old male. My dad is 5'11 and my mom is 5'4. I recently did an X-ray of my wrist and my bone age is 16. I play basketball, sleep well, and eat well. Am I finished growing or can I still hopefully reach 6'0?
Kids usually reach a height that is between both parents heights. And some will get taller. Girls grow steadily but boys grow at an uneven pace. They can go from 5’2” to 5’11” in a couple of months. You’re not finished growing until your early 20’s. Both my sons went from 5’2”-5’4” at age 14 to 6’0”-6’1” by 15 and 6’1” to 6’2” by 17. They had reached their full height at that point.
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1 ReactionHi, I'm a 14 year old going 15 in May that's 167 cm (5'5") and worried I've stopped growing. I haven't grown in a few months. I'm Korean and my mom is 155 cm (5'1") and my dad is 174 cm (5'9")
I heard that your knees would hurt if you're growing but haven't gotten those in a while. My dad's a late bloomer and was on the taller side of Korea back in the 80s, but now, not anymore. He grew the most during grade 11. Same as my cousin, a late bloomer, people teased him about his height and then grew to 184 cm (6'1") in grade 11. My parents have been giving me genotropin in mid 2023 and there was progress, and the doctors said my estimated height will be 177 cm (5'10"). I feel insecure about my height and all my other friends from Korea are like 5'8" and 5'10". Can someone help me please?
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1 ReactionHi! My brother also was short starting high school, 5’2”, but grew to 5’10” in high school. My son got to his full height after high school. My grandson is 15 and has grown a couple of inches this past year, probably your height now. He is still short compared to many of his peers, but like you he comes from a family of late bloomers. It’s difficult to just wait, but that’s what I would suggest rather than taking drugs or looking for treatment. Give it time, even though it seems like forever.
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2 ReactionsAll I can tell you is that I was as tall or taller than most of the boys in my classes throughout high school. When I attended my first high school reunion, however, I was amazed at how much the boys had grown! As clairemcl says, growing takes time. (Dare I add that it's what's inside that counts?)
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