Late puberty in boys: causes and treatment

In boys, puberty usually takes place between the ages of 9-14. If the baby is past 14 years old and the body still hasn't changed much, the baby may have delayed puberty in boys.

Late puberty in boys is understood as the normal development of boys but at puberty there are no signs of biological change. So what causes late puberty?

Signs of delayed puberty in boys

Boys often go through puberty at many different ages. Statistics show that up to 95% of all pubertal boys are between the ages of 9-14, so if you have a boy past the age of 14 and still showing no signs of biological change, then he or she has puberty. late .

The hallmark of puberty in boys is the enlargement of the testicles, followed by penis growth and the appearance of pubic hair. Puberty occurs when the pituitary gland begins to secrete more than two hormones, luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which causes the testes to grow and produce the male hormone testosterone. Spikes usually begin within 1 year of a baby's first sign of puberty, usually at 15 years old.

If your baby is past 14 years of age and doesn't have any of these symptoms, your doctor will likely conduct a physical exam to assess the size of his testicles and penis. If the test shows that the  penis  and testicles are not bigger than before even though your baby is 14 years old, your baby will develop late puberty. An early sign that puberty will arrive in the next 6–12 months is a developing testicle but a small penis.

Physically, most late puberty boys are usually much shorter than their peers. The reason is that the baby's leap stage development is slower than the others. However, your baby will develop to catch up with friends by the age of 18 and be of a normal adult height.

The cause of delayed puberty in boys

In about two thirds of cases, delayed puberty in boys is inherited from their parents. If the mother has puberty after 14 years old and the father wakes up after 16 years of age, it is likely that the child will also develop late puberty. In addition, boys with chronic diseases such as colitis, sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis also often fall into this condition.

A small number of boys have delayed puberty due to a deficiency of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), also known as a deficiency of separate gonadotropin hormone (IGD). This condition usually appears right from birth, boys suffering from this deficiency all have abnormally small penis.

At this point, other pituitary hormones are still produced and develop normally. If a boy is 17 years old and still hasn't puberty yet, this could be a sign that he has a separate gonadotropin hormone deficiency (IGD). Other signs may be a bad sense of smell, also known as Kallmann's syndrome. Besides, problematic testicles are also the cause of late puberty in boys.

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination to determine the size of the testicles. If the testicles are too small, it could be a sign of delayed puberty in boys. In addition, a few other causes that affect the testicles include each testicle surgery or surgery for cancer.

How is puberty diagnosed late?

Sometimes doctors just perform the physical exams enough to diagnose late puberty or not. There are also cases where the doctor may recommend some tests to confirm the problem they suspect is not in the testicles. The most common tests are the testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test done in the early morning. Because morning is a time when testosterone levels are higher than normal.

Normal adult testosterone levels range from 250–800 ng / dL (nanogram / deciliter) but late puberty babies have testosterone levels below 40. Also,   hand and wrist x-rays determine Bone age can also predict adulthood height.

How to treat delayed puberty in boys?

Late puberty in boys can be treated with an injection for several months. After the injection, the baby will increase height, gain weight as well as develop penis and pubic hair. In most cases, puberty will continue without any further treatment.

When a boy has a deficiency of a separate gonadotropin-regulating hormone (IGD) or a penis is damaged, testosterone is the treatment of choice. However, the dose increases with time and continues to supplement as an adult.

Late puberty in boys does not cause too many serious problems for their health. However, parents should pay close attention to their children to detect symptoms early and have a thorough remedy!