.. to tell my DD she’ll grow more?!

[Pleasegrowmore]

DD (11) has just started her period. Year or so younger than her sister was.

main issue is she’s really upset because the sport she does and loves it really helps to be tall. She’s pretty tall for her age already but I (and she) have read online that once you get periods you either (depends on what you read) basically stop growing or at most a little more.

but Internet seems to vary about this and it’s all a bit old wives tale y.

anyone know any actual science on this

and mainly can anyone reassure me (and her!!) that she could still grow more???

I stopped growing at 11 and didn't start my period until I was 14.

I started my periods at 11, I am just over six foot tall. (And I wasn't 6 foot at 11!!) I also grew a little at university (I started my course when I was 17 though.) She has plenty of growing to do, especially if you and her dad are taller.

I got my period at 12 and haven’t really grown since. Am only 5’2 though. At 12 I already had significant boobs and bum, and got mistaken for being older, to the point of people asking if I was my baby brother’s mum! So I was one of those short, plump, early developers.

I started my periods at 11 and didn't stop growing until sometime between 14 and 15. I'm 5ft 6, so must have grown another 4 or 5 inches after starting.

2 DD who both didn’t stop growing till 19/20. One just under 6ft and other over

My DD started just after she turned 10, she is now not long turned 11 and has grown at 6 inches this year, she is very close to 5ft 5 and I think she will grow at least another few inches ( maybe more )
So she definitely 'could' grow more

Dd was 14 when she started but grew between 17&18!

I think genetics and food intake are what determines growth.

My dd is 5ft 8in now age 16yo, she's taller than me! She developed an eating disorder during the first lockdown and stopped eating and growing. Now she's more recovered and eating a lot more she shot up another 2 inches.

I'm not aware of any link between starting periods and height, some girls start their periods really young so it can't be right.

Please don't tell her she'll grow more as you don't know this for ceetain. DS was one of the tallest in his year when he started secondary and only grew a couple of inches after that. We assumed he'd grow more but he didn't. He's tiny. It would have been even harder than it already is for him if we'd promised he'd grow and he'd relied on trusting us. Just tell her you don't know, can't predict but she's gorgeous and fine as she is and if she ends up small, she can be the outlier in her sport that proves the exception to the rule.

Is her dad pretty tall as well? Aren't most daughters taller than their mothers?

@Pleasegrowmore please don't worry. She's only 11. Of course she's likely to grow more. Most of the girls I know seem to grow most between 12 and 14

Me and my sisters all started periods at age 10/11 and had no more growth after about a year. Same with my friend at the time. Taller than most of my friends at years 5,6,7 but they all shot past me before starting theirs.

I’m 5,9 now and I definitely wasn’t when I started my period aged 12 if anecdotes are helpful!

I was the second tallest in my (all girls) class in the first year at secondary. Then I started my periods aged 12 and stopped growing. Sadly I was only 5'5" .

She’s absolutely fine generally if she didn’t grow another cm - she’d still be a perfectly normal height - it’s purely sports related - and of course this new life event / hormones don’t help! I’m not telling her anything for certain I was just after stories / info that show that she’s not now definitely going to stop

I grew taller until I was 19. Got periods at 13. Sounds like rubbish

Yes he’s 6 foot 2. My dad is tall too. But we are a family of extremes - some pretty tall, some very short, not much in between!

Dd was 10y when she started her periods. She grew at least 2-3 inches more after that.

I'm sorry OP, I was always tall for my age, but started my period at 10 and haven't grown since I was 11. Now all my friends who were shorter than me are all taller than me.
Scientifically you stop growing when you finish puberty and starting your period is the end of puberty for girls.

My DS is small and in a sport where height is an advantage. His coach told him to eat 2 eggs a day and hang from a pull up bar to stretch his spine. It either worked or coincidentally coincided with a growth spurt. Either way it cant harm to give it a try.

I stopped growing at 13 (almost 6 foot) and didn't start my periods until 15.

I grew about another 4 inches after my periods started. I went from average height to one of the taller girls. Wait it out and see how it goes but whilst height helps in some sports, being small can also be advantageous. My youngest has Turner's and will never be tall (she'll be lucky to reach 5ft) but there's a whole string of sports where being small can be beneficial too, just keep encouraging her and reassuring her that her final adult height is beyond her control but plenty of other things are in her control.

I thought this was the case. Me and 2 older dds are shortish and started early.
Dd3 was tall for her age and started at 9. She continued growing though and is 5'7" at 13?

I don't think that's' true - girls bodies definitely continue to change after their periods start!

I always thought you stopped growing roughly 2 years after period started. In my DDs case, that was about right.