Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Growth after periods starting

33 replies

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 09:39

DD, 11, has started her periods but is still only 6.5 stone and barely 5’ tall.
DH and I are average and tall. I’m wondering if anyone has had a daughter grow a reasonable amount after starting? I’m wondering if her starting is a bit ‘wrong’ and we should see the GP in case growth hormones are appropriate. I’m sure that’s not the case but it would be awful if we miss this window to do something about it. She feels self conscious about her height as it is and this will only get worse as everyone else carries on growing.

OP posts:

ArosAdraDrosDolig · 16/01/2021 09:43

I definitely carried on growing for a good few years after my periods started.
I don’t think at 11 there’s anything a GP would want to do, definitely not unusual to have started. I understand that after the age of 8 it isn’t treated as precocious puberty.

Also, some adults are 5ft tall. She will be the height she is and best thing to do is build her confidence, not reinforce that there’s a problem with being petite. I’m tall fwiw and my dd is exceptionally tall, and feels self conscious about that sometimes. That’s the height she is and she’s perfectly healthy, building her self esteem is the way forward.

ArosAdraDrosDolig · 16/01/2021 09:44

Also 5ft at 11 isn’t short?
My dd is also 11 and has friends who are much shorter than that.

Wearegoingtoneedabiggerboat · 16/01/2021 09:45

Both my DD’s started their periods at 13 the youngest was barely 5ft at the time. At 15 she is now 5ft 6.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Children's health General health

FippertyGibbett · 16/01/2021 09:45

It’s not just about her DM and DF height, how tall are her GP’s and how tall were their DP’s.
As a pp said, don’t make an issue of her height. Build her confidence.

BillieSpain · 16/01/2021 09:45

Please don't panic!

DD started her periods at 10
Then they stopped and didn't really come back. I did take her to the doctor (for something else) and mentioned it, she said the nutrition today mean girls tend to get a 'warning' far earlier but her periods would likely stop and start again when she is heavier. (skinny like your DD and about 5'1')

She is now 12 1/2 and has had another 'warning' but nothing more, one day of light flow. She is growing like a beanpole and in her 12 year official checkup male doctor said no, it would not be regular periods for a while yet.

Hope that all makes sense. I was shocked too! I am 5'10 and started my periods at 15, so you can imagine my horror!!

Fizbosshoes · 16/01/2021 09:46

I'm not even 5ft now! And I started my period when I was 14 and about 6st.

lubeybooby · 16/01/2021 09:48

I grew 4inches after periods started, my dd grew another 9 inches after first period

ArosAdraDrosDolig · 16/01/2021 09:49

Just looked at the growth charts and the 50th centile for height at age 11 is 144cm which is 4ft 9 I think?

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 09:51

@ArosAdraDrosDolig

Also 5ft at 11 isn’t short? My dd is also 11 and has friends who are much shorter than that.

You’re right. It’s average but she is just under this and the second shortest in her class. She’s in the youngest 1/3 of the class and an affluent area so I suppose that’s why.

OP posts:

NewjobOldme · 16/01/2021 09:53

My dd started at 12. She was about 4'10 at the time. Two years later and she has barely reached 5ft. She hates being short. At 14 a lot of her friends are now substantially taller than her.

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 09:54

@ArosAdraDrosDolig

Just looked at the growth charts and the 50th centile for height at age 11 is 144cm which is 4ft 9 I think?

Yeah. She’s 11 3/4 though. So she’s 50th centile right now, but she’s feeling worried about her height anyway.

OP posts:

watermelonmartini · 16/01/2021 09:55

My daughter is 11, 5’3” but hasn’t started yet. I started age 10 at 5’1” and about 6 stone, but by age 13 was 5’6” and 8 stone.

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 09:56

@FippertyGibbett

It’s not just about her DM and DF height, how tall are her GP’s and how tall were their DP’s. As a pp said, don’t make an issue of her height. Build her confidence.

I’m trying not to. I’m trying to give her a laid back sort of understanding.

OP posts:

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 09:59

Thanks everyone, interesting mixed bag on the height people have grown after starting.

I’m sure there’s nothing we can do, I just worry about her.

I was 5’8” at her age and it was crap so the other extreme isn’t great either.

I am definitely not telling her I am concerned. And just trying to be breezy about it.

OP posts:

daisypond · 16/01/2021 10:00

One of my DDs was teeny - had a lot of investigations at the hospital - below the bottom level of the chart for a long time, and always looked several years behind her peers. Started her periods at 13 and is now an adult. She’s 5’2 now. I’m pretty sure your DD won’t be offered growth hormone. Mine wasn’t.

daisypond · 16/01/2021 10:02

Meant to add, when mine got onto the chart for height, she was never more than 2nd percentile.

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 10:03

@daisypond

That’s really helpful. Thank you. I can probably just get on with calming down about it now

OP posts:

Tongtwister · 16/01/2021 10:08

I was about 5ft 1 at 10 and started my periods. They were regular so I didn't have the warning or irregular start lots do. I've onky grown to about 5ft 3. Some people just aren't going to be average height or tall. I think the best way is to try and help her accept her height whatever it is. Also my sister is 5ft 10 so genetics are odd things and it's too hard to predict what height she will end up.

wonderup · 16/01/2021 10:09

I grew after my periods & grew in general late. Was average height in primary & then high school went up to 5ft 9.

Rainallnight · 16/01/2021 10:11

5ft at 11 years old is well within the normal growth curve, so there’s no way you’d get any medical intervention for that.

(I’m a five foot nothing woman and I admit I am slightly offended by how distressed you seem to be about this).

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 10:16

It’s not her actual height that’s bothering me, Rain more that it might be kind of ‘wrong’, with her being light in weight too.

OP posts:

Original poster

ThePricklySheep · 16/01/2021 10:16

Her weight when she started her periods I mean. Her weight is fine for her age and height.

OP posts:

bellagogosdead · 16/01/2021 10:18

I was a bit worried about dd at 11 as she was just short of five foot, I thought 11 was when girls tended to stop growing- I did, average at 11 shortarse for the rest of my life!
dd grew after that and now at 18 is about 5ft 5inch maybe more, it's a long time since she would let me measure her not massively tall, but certainly normal.
I think it's hard to forecast how they will grow, but I really wouldn't worry.

wonderup · 16/01/2021 10:20

I think I was 12 when my periods started & very skinny (always in the underweight BMI charts) despite eating like a horse. Shame it's no longer like that!

Fizbosshoes · 16/01/2021 10:20

I've read that you dont start periods until you're 7st but this really isn't the case if you're petite.i didnt weigh 7st until I was well into my 20s , but started periods within a normal range of puberty
My DD is 5ft 1 and about 6st 10. She started her period when she was 12, she was prob about 6st at the time.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread