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Original poster

Teenage son with very slow growth - any experiences with hospital referral?

95 replies

RedGreenBlueSky · 28/05/2023 23:13

DS is very small for age. 13 and around 4 foot 8. Has only grown 2.5cm in the last year. He's always been on the small side but the difference between him and his peers is getting more extreme. He finally has hospital appointment at a growth clinic in next couple of months. Does anyone have experience of what to expect?

I'm feeling incredibly guilty about not asking GP earlier (we have always taken approach that his height doesn't matter and if he's happy and it doesn't bother him then all's good) but he's just never really had growth spurts and done any catching up that I was expecting would eventually come. It's started to bother him recently and he's struggling with people's comments at school. I'm 5 7 and his dad is 5 8. I always assumed he'd not be massive but at least get to my height... now I'm not so sure and am worried for him as there's such an emphasis on height being important in men.

OP posts:
Original poster
RedGreenBlueSky · 29/05/2023 18:34

Hi @ciscowhispered sounds like you're at a similar point as us - doctor referred DS after second appointment with him (second appointment was going to be to check to see if he'd grown but he decided to just refer anyway and didn't bother measuring again). I was happy the hospital letter came through quite quickly so it won't have been too long a wait.

OP posts:
Original poster
RedGreenBlueSky · 29/05/2023 18:36

@HairyKitty yes I've heard that. I suspect we'll just be told delayed puberty initially and told a growth spurt will come at some point but I'm feeling a bit better just knowing I can talk to a doctor properly about it all

OP posts:
HairyKitty · 29/05/2023 18:41

Yes. Mine is 17.5yrs at 5ft 6, but even at this age it’s clear he’s not fully reached puberty. No BO, little facial hair, no forearm hair, no muscular bulking. And also no way he will have a doctor fondling his bits he says he’d rather wait and see!!!

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Children's health
Kylie1977 · 29/05/2023 18:50

@ciscowhispered yes I don't know anyone else in real life too so it is nice to connect with others going through the same thing. I too was upset at the other thread.
@RedGreenBlueSky my son does go through periods of being upset about it height. It certainly affects his confidence and he doesn't have a big friendship group. He told me how at a recent parents evening the other parents were asking his classmates if he was really in yr 10 as he wouldn't look out of place in yr 7. It's tough for him at school but he is doing well and happy to go in which I'm glad of. All boys school so at least he hasn't got girls commenting either.

hopeishere · 29/05/2023 18:55

Coming over from the other thread. As I said DS saw someone privately and is now seeing an NHS endocrinologist.

She took bloods and did the hand X-ray. His testosterone is very low. She also measured his testicles with the string of beads!

He's going to get one more test where they stimulate the pituitary gland to make sure he can make testosterone but has recommended a tiny dose of testosterone to kick start his body producing its own.

It's all very worrying.

hopeishere · 29/05/2023 18:56

The endocrinologist also asked about public hair and underarms. She was really respectful of how embarrassing it all was for him!

greenacrylicpaint · 29/05/2023 20:12

what was his dad's and other male relative's puperty like?

one of dc friends was very small when the other boys in the friendship group shot up in height around 14yo. their dad was the same and he just gew like mad a year later.
another friend has a very limited diet (not many calories a day and always the same few items) and is still very small (under 5ft) at 17 even though the parents are quite tall.

Just2MoreSeasons · 29/05/2023 20:31

My DS is only 8, so I have no advice, but he's small compared to his peers. Posters comments about hand X-rays have got me thinking- if the scan showed - one or two years behind, was their handwriting also poor against their peers.
My own DS finds writing to be hard work and his hands get tired with it. Just wondered if there's a link?
Good luck with it op- other posters have been very reassuring, fingers crossed it's just late development.

WatermelonPink · 29/05/2023 20:46

Oh, my 13 year old DS is small and hasn’t shown signs of puberty yet - should I be taking him to the GP?

I’m not sure of his exact height but I’m 5’3” and he’s just above my chin so I guess he’s less than 5’. He has size 4.5 shoes. He doesn’t have any body hair and his voice hasn’t broken.

I just thought maybe he is a late developer?

Valhalla17 · 29/05/2023 20:50

Boys tend to have growth spurts later on OP, but definitely worth speaking to the GP and getting se bloods done to check. My brother was very small, everyone was shooting up in height and he was getting worried. He then had a spurt at 15/16. He's 6 ft 5 now

Original poster
RedGreenBlueSky · 29/05/2023 20:54

@WatermelonPink I think it's not officially delayed puberty until after 14, and even then they may not actually put them on any treatment. We've just decided to go doctor route as his growing has practically stopped over the last year and I want to rule out a bigger problem. No need to go see a doctor unless you want to

@Just2MoreSeasons DS's handwriting is awful!

OP posts:
florentina1 · 29/05/2023 21:01

All my children went to the growth clinic at Great Ormond St. my husband and I are both short. The eldest was offered a hormone, but was told he may be shorter than he would be if matured naturally. Both my sons continued growing until they were 20.

they both reached the height predicted by the hospital.

BodyKeepingScore · 29/05/2023 21:09

My son was exactly the same at age 12/13. He was showing no signs of puberty. At 14 he's towering over me, his voice dropped seemingly overnight and my god the hair on his legs 🤣
He's now pretty similar to his peers height wise but genuinely still had the baby face and was really noticeably shorter than his peers at 13. If I showed you the difference 6 months made to him you wouldn't believe the two photographs were of the same boy.

memememe · 29/05/2023 21:11

My son was under the paediatrician for low weight and height from age 13 onwards. He grew a whole foot taller in 6 months (cost me a fortune in clothes and shoes!!) at 14.5. So don't worry just yet, chances are he'll still grow. My son is still shorter than his friends and I think he'll grow some more.

HairyKitty · 29/05/2023 21:13

@florentina1 what were their heights and and weights when you took them and what were their final heights

Summertimesmile · 29/05/2023 21:18

My DS had a good 6 or 7 who were definitely well under 5ft at about 14. Some of them seem to have levelled off at about 5ft 6 or 7 but there are about 3 of them who are now well over 6ft, just didn’t really start to get there much before year 11 or 12

brawhen · 29/05/2023 21:27

I'll join. DS2 is 14 and I think about 4'10“. We are trying to stay positive about it with him. We measure every half term and he has always grown a bit - I'd be at the Dr but he says he doesn't want to and he is definitely growing, just slowly. He's a bit above 2nd centile in the red book chart and is roughly tracking that line. So there must be someone somewhere smaller than him.

He's shortest boy in year, and he thinks he is also smaller than all the girls.

Unfortunately, he's also very young in the year (and we are Scotland, so there is a wide age range in the year, including plenty of deferred kids up to 18 months older than him). That does not help!

My DS1 has always tracked 95th centile and is a beanpole 😁

I'm 5`2" and my dad's side of the family is on the short side of average. DH is 5'11" and plenty of tall men on his side and my mum's side. DS has unluckily inherited from me I think.

DolphinSE18 · 29/05/2023 22:15

My son was short for his age and became self conscious when he was about 13 because he was baby faced, lacked any facial hair, his voice hadn’t broken etc. It was troubling for him and he did lack confidence despite me trying to ease his fears by telling him that he was a late bloomer and he’d catch up eventually.
I did take him to the doctor who took a blood test and referred us to the hospital for checks. The consultant questioned me on our family history (both my husband and I did not hit puberty until we were older than our peers) and the consultant explained that this was the case for my son and that late puberty was often hereditary but my son wasn’t convinced tbh, he understood what we were all telling him but I think he felt so deflated that he couldn’t see that he’d ever catch up.

At each appointment the doctor would check his pubic hair, testicles, height and weight. We’ve just been discharged from the hospital because the doctor said puberty was fine and my son had nothing to worry about.
He’s still a late bloomer in comparison to his peers but changes are happening, just more slowly than he’d hope. He has now caught up in height, and is taking over those that bloomed when they were 11/12 years, his confidence is returning and at the moment he seems to be growing overnight, every night.

This is my own thought, and certainly not suggested by the doctor, but both my DC, both late bloomers, seem to be coping with puberty very well and haven’t had the mood swings, bad skin, body odour that many teenagers experience and I wonder if this is because their puberty has come in slower than normal. I’ve said this to my son who doesn’t necessarily see it as a good point though!
If I can offer any advice it is to definitely get it checked out in case there is something amiss but I would say look at your family history of puberty and try not to worry too much, your DS will get there eventually.

SuperGinger · 29/05/2023 22:30

I'm worried my DS aged 12 will be very short he is well under 5ft but has a huge voice, is super hairy and has facial hair. Puberty seems to have happened but no massive increase on height. DH stopped growing at 13

boefgark · 30/05/2023 07:44

Don't worry too much, don't underestimate how much a boy can grow in his teens...

Mamofteenager · 30/05/2023 08:00

Just2MoreSeasons · 29/05/2023 20:31

My DS is only 8, so I have no advice, but he's small compared to his peers. Posters comments about hand X-rays have got me thinking- if the scan showed - one or two years behind, was their handwriting also poor against their peers.
My own DS finds writing to be hard work and his hands get tired with it. Just wondered if there's a link?
Good luck with it op- other posters have been very reassuring, fingers crossed it's just late development.

Hello, my DS very similar with handwriting and hands getting tired and has now been diagnosed with Hypermobility. This has been helpful with school as means he is able to use a laptop so he can manage this better in class

heartsinvisiblefury · 30/05/2023 08:10

boefgark · 30/05/2023 07:44

Don't worry too much, don't underestimate how much a boy can grow in his teens...

Even at 17/18?

boefgark · 30/05/2023 08:11

heartsinvisiblefury · 30/05/2023 08:10

Even at 17/18?

Show quote history

if they're late bloomers yes, but I guess most stop at 18

CornishGem1975 · 30/05/2023 08:19

My son was a slow grower but he hit 15 and he has started to shoot up!

Magazinenotliving · 30/05/2023 08:32

Thanks for this thread. My son is ten and has dropped down the centiles his whole life! He’s between 2nd and 4th centile now. He is also very slim, both me and his dad are slim, though his dad is 5 ft 11, I am 5 ft 1 and men on my side are short. I would be happier if he were small and stocky but he won’t be.

He is the smallest kid in his class, smaller than the girls, It’s really noticeable now his peers are starting to shoot up. His friends were making fun of him the other day as he was with a seven year old who was as tall as him. Everyone, even kids, do assume he is 6 or 7.

I really worry about his teen years.

He also is a poor eater, with limited food range and does not like trying new food. Paediatrician thought it might be due to dairy intolerance causing stomach pains that were so constant he wasn’t noticing it but was unconsciously stopping him from eating well. His eating did improve in volume but not range when he was dairy free, though that may have been due to reduced calories from cutting out dairy. Though, as his range did not increase I worried about poor calcium intake which would affect his growth too. When we reintroduced dairy the volume of food he eats did slowly decrease again and we are trying dairy free again though his appetite is not picking up this time ( though we are finding it harder to stick to this time). .