When Do Girls Stop Growing? Median Height, Genetics & More

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Height in Girls: When Do They Stop Growing, What’s the Median Height, and More

Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M.D., MPH — Written by Ashley Marcin — Updated on April 13, 2023

Growth and puberty
Puberty and breast development
Q&A: Breast growth
Girls vs. boys
Median height
Height and genetics
Growth delays
Takeaway

You typically stop growing in the years after your first period. Some health conditions can cause growth delays.

When will a girl stop growing?

Girls grow at a quick pace throughout infancy and childhood. When they reach puberty, growth increases dramatically again.

Girls usually stop growing and reach adult height by 14 or 15 years old, or a couple years after menstruation begins.

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

How does puberty affect growth?

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

For most girls, puberty occurs between 8 and 13 years old and the growth spurt occurs between 10 and 14 years old. They grow, on average, 1 to 2 additional inches in the year or two after their first period.

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.

What’s the connection between puberty and breast development?

Breast development is often the first sign of puberty. Breasts may start developing 2 to 2 1/2 years before 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&A: Breast growth

Q:

A:

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

Do girls grow at a different speed than boys?

Puberty hits boys slightly later than it does girls.

In general, boys begin puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 years old and 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.

What’s the median height for girls?

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)

What role do genetics play in height?

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 the predicted height for 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:

72 + 66 = 138
138 / 2 = 69
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.

What causes growth delays?

There are many factors that affect growth, ranging from malnutrition to medications.

Some girls may see a delay in growth due to certain health conditions, such as growth hormone issues, severe arthritis, or cancer.

Genetic conditions play a role as well. For example, girls with Down syndrome, Noonan syndrome, or Turner syndrome may be shorter than their family members.

Girls with Marfan’s syndrome may 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.

What’s the takeaway?

Girls may gain a foot or more in height from childhood through puberty. Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods, and exercising regularly are 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 as X-rays or blood tests to help them determine causes of growth delays.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics. (2015). Predicting a child’s adult height.https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/Glands-Growth-Disorders/Pages/Predicting-a-Childs-Adult-Height.aspx
CDC/NationalCenter for Health Statistics. (2017). Body measurements.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm
CDC/NationalCenter for Health Statistics. 2 to 20 years: Girls stature-for-age andweight-for-age percentiles. (2000). https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set2clinical/cj41c072.pdf
FryerCD, et al. (2018). Mean body weight, height, waist circumference, and body massindex among adults: United States, 1999-2000 through 2015-2016.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr122-508.pdf
Growthand your 13- to 18-year-old. (2015). https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/growth-13-to-18.html
Puberty.(2018).https://youngwomenshealth.org/2010/04/21/puberty

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Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M.D., MPH — Written by Ashley Marcin — Updated on April 13, 2023

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