When will a girl stop growing?

女孩grow at a quick pace throughout infancy and childhood. When they reachpuberty, growth increases dramatically again.

女孩usually stop growing and reach adult height by 14 or 15 years old, or a couple years aftermenstruationbegins.

Learn more about growth in girls, what to expect when it happens, and when you may want to call your child’spediatrician.

女孩typically have a growth spurt in the one to two years before menstruation starts.

For most girls, puberty occursbetween 8 and 13 years oldand the growth spurt occurs between 10 and 14 years old. They grow just 1 to 2 additional inches in the year or two after getting their first period. This is when they reach their adult height.

Most girls reach their adult height by age 14 or 15. This age could be younger depending on when a girl first gets her period.

You may want to contact your child’s doctor if your daughter is 15 and hasn’t yet begun her period.

Breast developmentis often the first sign of puberty. Breasts may start developing2 to 2 1/2 yearsbefore a girl gets her period.

Some girls may notice breast buds only a year after their first periods. Others may not begin developing breasts for three to four years after beginning menstruation.

The buds may not appear at the same time, but they usually appear within six months of one another.

Q:

When dobreastsstop growing?

Anonymous patient

A:

Breasts generally stop growing whenpubertyis complete, around one to two years after a girl has her firstperiod. However, it’s not unusual for breasts to continue to grow slightly and change in shape or contour up until age 18. It’s also quite common to have one breast that’s adifferent sizethan the other.

Karen Gill, MD Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Puberty hitsboysslightly later than it does girls.

In general, boys begin pubertybetween the ages of 10 and 13 years oldand experience growth spurts between 12 and 15 years old. This means their biggest growth spurt happens about two years after it does with girls.

Most boys stop gaining height by age 16, but their muscles may continue to develop.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , the mean, or average, age-adjusted height for adult women 20 years old and up is 63.7 inches. That’s just under 5 foot 4 inches.

Height by age

At 8 years old, the earliest start of puberty, half of all American girls will be under 50.2 inches (127.5 cm) tall. This means that a lot of growth occurs during a short period of time.

The following information comes from a CDC chart from 2000:

Age (years) 50th percentile height for girls (inches and centimeters)
8 50.2 in. (127.5 cm)
9 52.4 in. (133 cm)
10 54.3 in. (138 cm)
11 56.7 in. (144 cm)
12 59.4 in. (151 cm)
13 61.8 in. (157 cm)
14 63.2 in. (160.5 cm)
15 63.8 in. (162 cm)
16 64 in. (162.5 cm)
17 64 in. (163 cm)
18 64 in. (163 cm)

Your height has a lot to do with how tall or short your parents are. Growth patterns tend to run in families.

When looking at the growth of children, pediatricians often ask parents about their own height, family height history, and growth patterns.

There are a couple of different ways to predict how tall a girl may grow. One of these methods is called the mid-parental method.

To use this method, add the height in inches of the mother and father, then divide that by two. Then, subtract 2 1/2 inches from that number. To determine thepredicted heightfor a boy, you’d add 2 1/2 inches to the number.

For example, if a girl has a father who’s 72 inches tall and a mother who’s 66 inches tall, the predicted height for the girl would be found with the following calculations:

  1. 72 + 66 = 138
  2. 138 / 2 = 69
  3. 69 – 2.5 = 66.5

So the predicted height for the girl is 66.5 inches or 5 foot 6.5 inches.

This number is a rough estimate, however. You may see a margin of error of up to 4 inches in either direction.

In general, the taller the parents are, the taller the child will be, and vice versa.

There are many factors that affect growth, ranging frommalnutritionto medications.

Some girls may see adelay in growthdue to certain health conditions, such asgrowth hormone issues, severearthritis, orcancer.

遗传疾病play a role as well. For example, girls withDown syndrome, Noonan syndrome, orTurner syndromemay be shorter than their family members.

女孩withMarfan’s syndromemay grow taller than their family members.

If you have concerns about your child’s growth, contact their pediatrician. Once a girl reaches puberty, growth will typically stop a couple of years after her first period. A teen who has delayed growth will have less time to grow before the end of her spurt.

女孩may gain a foot or more in height from childhood through puberty.得到足够的睡眠,eating nutritious foods, andexercising regularlyare all good habits that can help them grow in a healthy way.

If you have concerns about your child’s growth pattern, contact their doctor sooner rather than later.

Their doctor will likely ask about your family’s growth history. They’ll examine your child and look carefully at your child’s growth curve.

Sometimes, their doctor may use tests such asX-raysor blood tests to help them determine causes of growth delays.