What is delayed puberty?

Also known as: disorders of growth, puberty and sexual development, constitutional growth delay, CGD

Late puberty may be defined as a situation where the body’s timing for sexual maturation is later than usual. In many children late puberty onset runs in the family, and for most cases it is not a cause for alarm.

If a boy does not experience any physical changes (like growth in the testicles) by age 14, or a girls does not have any development of the breasts by age 13, this situation is known as delayed puberty or delayed sexual development.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM