.. 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 started my periods at just turned twelve, I grew a further two inches by the time I was 18 then a further inch, my sister was the smallest girl in her year, our Dad used to be constantly reassuring her, suddenly at 17 she shot up to 5'9" and was taller than him..her son was the same, small, skinny little lad, then suddenly at 15 he had a growth spurt, he's now 19 and a strapping 6'5".

I was one of the tallest pupils at primary school - currently 5'2", didn't grow much after 11, periods started at 14.

I've never heard this. I started period at 9, I'm nearly 5ft 9 now I definitely grew!!

I was 5'6" when my period started at 12, but didn't finish growing to 5'8.5" (that 0.5" is very important!) until I was 18 - I had to have an operation on my spine that couldn't take place until I had finished growing and had very regular height check ups.

I believe the general standard is that you will have achieved the majority of your adult height about two years after your first period, but it's not an exact science, as I and many other PPs can demonstrate.

Average age that girls start periods is getting lower.

Average population height is getting taller.

Which means it can't be true

Also with regards to sport. There are very few sports where height is the be all and end all. Even in basketball there's been NBA players at 5'3"

In my chosen sport most of the best people in the world are 5'10"-6'. It is really unusual to be world class and smaller, or taller than this. But it does happen. At a local level to me I excel in my sport and am way better at it than most of my ideal height friends. I'll never be world class but there have been world class athletes at my height.

By all means tell her she'll get taller if she's bothered by it now, maybe when she's matured a bit if the growth spurt doesn't come she won't be so fussed, or won't think it's so important. When I was young I was bothered about it a bit but my parents never told me I was going to be tall though because that would have been an obvious lie considering I'm the tallest in the family now at 5'2" in my shoes 😂

Both dd’s started periods at 11.
DD1 grew another inch and is a little over 5foot at 18.
DD2 has grown about another 4 inches and is just over 5 foot 7 at 15. She is still growing.

I haven't read the whole thread, but did laugh at the idea of girls not growing once their periods start, considering periods tend to start around ages 9-12 , (some of course earlier or later) how would you explain tall women, many women are over 6ft tall, I'd imagine it's extremely rare of a female child to be 6ft tall at the time of starting their periods.

It’s more of a guide to look at the parents.

she’ll likely be taller than you, but not as tall as her dad. If she’s already your height, probably not much growing. Smaller than you, then yes, she will grow.

@Crunchyb what do you mean by 'intervention' in this context?

My Dd started hers at 13 and 5ft. She is now 17 and 5ft 8 . My youngest is on growth hormones and they stop giving increasing amounts of them at around age 14 as that is when growth starts to slow.

Have you looked at the WHO growth charts? Because you'd expect to see a sharp tail off around age 12/13 on the girl's chart and almost no growth at all by 14, but that isn't the case.

I can only speak anecdotally. I got my period at 10, and had my last growth spurt at 11, the summer before I started secondary. I remember because the school uniform bought for me at the start of summer was too tight when I started school. I’m 5.8’’ though so not short.
A bit off topic but I read an interesting paper recently that said girls that started puberty earlier were more prone to weight gain and depression, both true in my case.