No sign of puberty . 15. Need advice ..

[TheOpalFox]

My son is 15. Got no signs of puberty? Like absolutely nothing . I took him gp as kt
could be an underlying health issue yeah? He referred him to specialists and they have said re refer when he’s 16??? I mean whattttt :(

You've been to the doctor and the doctor has given you the correct advice. Some kids develop much later than others and it's not until he's slightly older that it would be considered a medical issue, so waiting until he's 16 is the right thing to do.

Please push to get this looked into further. This happened to a family member of mine, he refused to go to Dr's to get checked out for years. Eventually in his late 20's he gave in and got tests done and it turned out that he had a condition (can't remember the name of it) that meant he never went through puberty. He stopped growing at around 13/14. He needs hormone injections now and his body doesn't absorb nutrition through meals so he has to take supplements such as calcium, vit D etc as he has brittle bones due to years of poor nutrition. He is in a lot of pain with arthritis, find walking any distance difficult. If he was diagnosed 10 years earlier he could have had a far better life. Hope you get some answers for your son. The earlier he gets support the better off he will be.

Were in same position except dd, even more unusual. Referral isn’t available until 16 because it’s still normal range, some dc are very late and absolutely nothing wrong. My dd started to show some signs at 15.5 and periods started at 16 and 3 months, gp was mildly concerned at 15 as unusual but also reassuring that it wasn’t unusual 50 years ago, it’s just puberty is getting younger typically but some dc are still later

Have a friend who’s sons voice didn’t break until 17, really “baby faced” too but at 25 you can’t tell he was a late developer

What UK county (not country) are you in? I would push for referral. My DS had this and we were definitely seen by paediatric endocrinologists before he was 16. You need to deal with it sooner rather than later for reasons @Orangejellybabygives.

People saying to push for referral are missing the part of the post where the GP DID refer but the specialists refused the referral, the specialists are right to do so as the child is still within the accepted age range for puberty to start albeit at the upper end. OP I would just watch and wait and if there is no change when your DS is 16 go back.

16 is still on the edge of normal range
Try not to worry and especially try not to pass your worry onto your son
If his puberty is delayed it will happen
If it’s something else they will get to the bottom of it when he’s 16

He's within normal range still.

After 16 you can get the GP to re-refer and they will then look into it.

He may well just be a late bloomer.

Maybe hes just slow. I got my period when i was 17. My younger sister got it before me when she was 11..
We all develop at our own pace. Since you have taken him to the doctor, I would follow their advice.

The NHS says puberty should have started by 14 for boys, but the signs may not be visible to you. Has he had any blood tests? I would look up the NICE guidelines to see what to expect and go back to GP if still concerned.

I didn’t start my period till 17 and I am fine now. I do understand why you’re worried, because my mum was extremely freaked out (which in turn freaked me out). Please reassure your son, and try not to worry him.

Is there anything in particular you’re concerned about like height? Or is it just general concern? If it was me, I would hold off till 16, but if you’re really worried maybe seek a second opinion if possible just to put your mind at ease.

Either wait until he’s 16 or do a private referral of you can afford to. They wait u til children are older because you don’t want to mess with a kids development unnecessarily.

If it’s delayed puberty the only treatment is testosterone which brings its own complications (possibility of reduced final height), so they will want you to wait.
Also you’d need a frank and graphic discussion with your son before you could be sure that there are literally no signs.

Depends how much investigation has been done. These specialists’ decisions are made on cost basis not clinical basis.

Not what we were told

When I was at school there was 1 boy in the year group who had not gone through puberty. He was tiny, fresh faced, little boy voice etc. 6 months later, he strolls in with squeaky breaking voice, shot up in height, and caught up with the other boys. I’ve seen it happen to many of my children’s friends and classmates over the years too.

How helpful!

Males of my family are late bloomers. Little boys at 15, giant hairy men by the time they are 17. It may all come good naturally.