What is Delayed Puberty?

The time when a person’s body grows from a child’s to an adult’s is the puberty stage. When a girl reaches the puberty stage her breasts starts to develop and pubic hair becomes noticeable. She will also start menstruating. The overall shape of her body will also change. The whole body will become curvier and hips can start widening.Boys will also start developing facial and pubic hair and experience a growth spurt. The bodies of boys will get more muscular and shoulders can widen. These changes are mainly caused by the sex hormones (estrogen in girls and testosterone in guys) which may be produced in large quantities than ever before.

Puberty begins between 7 and 13 years for girls and between the ages of 9 and 15 for boys. It can however be later or earlier also. Some people may not show any bodily changes and pass through this normal stage of puberty. This is called delayed puberty.

There may be several reasons for delayed puberty. It can be just owing to a development or growth pattern existing in the family. The girl or boy may find that her or his uncle, aunt, parent, sisters or brothers also developed later than usual, too. This does not require any special treatment and is called constitutional delay. These adolescents will also mature later just like most of their peers.

Chronic illnesses such as fibrosis, kidney disease, asthma, diabetes etc may also lead to delayed puberty in some people. This is because such illnesses can impair the capacity of the body to grow and develop normally. Better control of these conditions and proper treatment can reduce the chances of developing this condition.

A person who’s malnourished or doesn’t eat a healthy diet can also face this problem. Teens suffering from disorders such as anorexia nervosa cannot get their normal periods because their may be losing too much of weight. Even girls who are active sportswomen are lean and hence can be late bloomers. Girls’ bodies should be somewhat fat to get periods and reach puberty stage. Problems in the pituitary or thyroid glands can also cause delayed puberty.