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Original poster

Delayed growth in boy - should I worry?

47 replies

WorriedofHampshire · 22/04/2008 11:03

My 14 year old son is very small and slight - always has been. He is absolutely fine in all other ways - eats well, is sporty, has plenty of stamina, sleeps well, does well at school.

Recently he has become upset at his height and weight as he has been teased at school (I don't think this is malicious teasing, more affectionate).

Anyway, we went to see our (lovely) GP last for a "put your mind at rest" check up. Turns out he is 5ft 2 and only 5 1/2 stone!
Apparently there are some signs that puberty may be on its way - but she has written to the hospital and we are expecting an appointment soon. Does anybody know what we can expect? There is talk of "growth treatment" which is worrying me a little!

I feel very guilty that perhaps I have waited too long to do anything about this - but I had always just assumed that he was naturally small. (Husband, elder son and I are all fairly "normal" size).

Please put my mind at rest!

OP posts:

Beetroot · 22/04/2008 19:40

dh grew a foot ina year between 14 and 15

he was known as Knome

evenhope · 22/04/2008 19:43

We were taking DS1 to the hospital regularly because he wasn't growing. At 15 his bone age scan revealed his bones were 11.

At 16 he suddenly shot up and was soon taller than DH.

Beetroot · 22/04/2008 19:45

ds is 14 and 5 ft 2
hs mates all tower over him

never thought of going to doctors about it

Piffle · 22/04/2008 19:56

both my brothers were tiddlers until 15 then bang... One hit 5ft 9 the younger is 6ft 3 and he was short and tubby!
ds1 is 14 and 5ft 6 = my height but he says most boys in his yr9 class are shorter than him only 4 are taller. Some including his best friend are just 5ft but no one is worried.
I have a dd aged 5 with noonan syndrome, if she ever makes 5ft it would be amazing. Most boys with this do go on growth hormone, we are told dd can have it, but we've decided no at least given how things are now. Being a girl is easier if you're small imho...
I'd leave it another year personally. Before looking at specialists. I doubt whether they'd advise it for a boy who is not unusually small, well I'd hope at least

Piffle · 22/04/2008 19:58

I meant being small is easier if you're a girl!
unless you dream of a career in rugby or basketball

Piffle · 22/04/2008 19:58

I meant being small is easier if you're a girl!
unless you dream of a career in rugby or basketball

YouHaventSeenMe · 22/04/2008 20:01

I have changed my name for this as it is not my story but my brother's.

He was worringly short, the hospital tested him for everything and eventually when he was about 12 they gave him GH, he had to go to the doctor a few times a week for an injection, he didn't shoot up but he is now a very respectable 5' 8".

He had no side effects from the GH.

BTW

He has a great career and is very well respected in a very unforgiving industry.

Lovely wife, lovely home and two adorable children, Ok his DD is a bit of a moo at times, but she is lovely with it.

At your first appointment, they will weigh and measure your DS, then the specialist will ask loads of questions and then take it from there.

Hope this helps.

uptomyeyes · 22/04/2008 20:25

Our endocrinologist has advised us that if DS1 can get to a reasonable puberty age then it opens up other options for accelerating growth than GH, I think use of testosterone was mentioned. Also note that there is very little evidence, as in practically none, to show that GH increases your end height if you don't suffer from a low level of naturally occuring GH. Most people who have normal GH levels, ie the GH that naturally occurs in their body, will reach their end height earlier than if they hadn't taken synthetic GH but it is still the height they would have achieved anyway. In these cases synthetic GH will not give additional centimetres, unlike cases where the child has an underproduction of GH - then additional GH will help them to gain additional height.

Short boys with bone age delay essentially have more growing years in their bones than a boy with bone age the same as chronological age. The problem is if puberty sets in, because then long bone ends harden and any furhter potential growth is lost.

Not sure if any of that makes sense.

clam · 22/04/2008 20:52

DS mislaid his shoes at school recently. He was adamant someone had taken them by mistake, but even he had to laugh when we tried to picture a hulking great Year 10 student, for instance, hobbling along in his Size 1s! So he's not the only Y7 kid who receives hand-me-downs from Year 4s then?

uptomyeyes · 22/04/2008 21:05

Yep we receive hand-me-ups!

Original poster

WorriedofHampshire · 23/04/2008 09:56

Thanks for all your comments and stories. Sounds like there are a lot of small boys out there!

Uptomyeyes - thanks for sharing your experience with growth hormones. You've given me something to think about.

Noddy - my DS will be 15 in July so he's that little bit older than your son - sorry if this thread has worried you!

Personally I wasn't worried about DS's height and weight - but it has become apparent in recent weeks that HE has become concerned - hence the visit to the doctor. I did think that she would say "all's well, let nature take its course" so when she referred us to hospital I was a little concerned. I know that Body Mass Index means little when applied to children but his BMI is only 14! (perhaps he can be a supermodel . . .) We can now only wait for our appointment which should be soon. I am hoping the consultant will find nothing amiss and that growth hormones aren't offered. I think that DS is having some issues with being the smallest - he has also been told off at school for being in the "senior" playground by teachers who don't know him and they are astonished to discover he's a Year 10! His big brother is a strapping 6ft 3ins (don't know where that came from!) and I think he feels self-conscious. We bought some new clothes last week and he really didn't want to buy trousers for an 11-12 year old - but they fitted him!

In the meantime all I can do is continue to reassure he is gorgeous, clever and kind (he is!)- but like Piffle says, perhaps it's easier to be small and cute if you're a girl.

OP posts:

clam · 23/04/2008 10:21

Wasn't easy getting a senior school blazer for the equivalent of an 8-yr old. It comes to his knees, and we haven't seen his hands since September.
And Hampshire, in a way, I've found it quite reassuring to read this thread - he's not the only one. But the vital thing, as you say, is to keep their confidence up. How they respond to others' comments is key. I've always told DS that the minute anyone spots a chink in his armour, then the flood gates could open. So he's got an array of self-deprecating retorts up his sleeve, but has rarely needed to use any so far.

throckenholt · 23/04/2008 10:28

I really wish they would not put agesin kids clothes. Mine have always been small for their age - and it bothers them once they realise their clothes say an age 2-3 years younger than they are. I am sure bigger than average kids have the same problem.

If I were you I would cut and paste bits of this thread and show your DS - let him know that lots of boys grow when they are older - and that you have no control over it - so just enjoy what you are.

And maybe look up bone age for him and explain that bones can grow more slowly at different ages - and some people have bones that are apparently younger than their actual age. Or in other words their bones have grown more slowly than "average" for their age - but may well grow more quickly later on - so that as an adult they are "normal".

lilolilmanchester · 23/04/2008 23:38

I used to cut the age labels out of DS's clothes to avoid embarrassment...

Libra · 01/05/2008 14:53

I have resurrected this thread because yesterday DS1 was seen by the growth clinic at our hospital and it has been decided to offer him three months' worth of testosterone as pads that he applies every night. This should hopefully trigger puberty (which he is apparently no where near starting yet).
Has anyone any experience of this? The pads are supposed to be better than giving him injections because he will just get a small amount of testosterone every night, which will be replicating what he should be producing anyway.
Without this, the doctor suggested he was probably looking at one and a half to two years before his growth started.

Libra · 01/05/2008 18:06

bump

Libra · 02/05/2008 08:41

bump

ScotsLassDownSouth · 10/06/2008 10:41

Hi, OP here with an update (name changed, this was my first posting and I can't work out how to get back to my original name!)

We had our hospital visit yesterday. DS was measured/weighed and we were asked lots of questions re family history, diet, exercise, etc.

DS is on the 2nd centile for weight and the 9th centile for height. The doctor advised that he could consider testosterone patches/injections, but he felt that this would be premature as DS has reached Stage 2 of puberty. (Apparently there are 5 stages). We also saw the dietitian who gave us some tips on how to add calories to DS's diet (nothing new to me, but I think DS took on board that it might be a good idea to drink more milk, eat more cheese, snack on dried fruit and nuts, etc).

We have to go back in December so I hope that he might have a growth spurt in the next six months and I won't have to worry about hormone treatment.

I was reassured by the visit - but I think that DS thought that the doctor would somehow wave a magic wand and he would suddenly be the same height and weight as his rugby playing friends! However, he is quite happy that the dietitan recommended he should eat a doughnut as a mid-morning snack every day!

candyfluff · 10/06/2008 10:49

my son is ten yrs old 4ft 2 and weighs only 4 stone.
my dh is only 5ft 2 and weighs 9 stone so there no expectation for him to be big!!!!

greenlawn · 10/06/2008 14:36

Really interested in these posts, as my son is now nearly 6 and absolutely tiny - in our case probably due to problems before birth. He's now been well and truly overtaken by his younger brother (just turned 4). We've been seen since birth by a hospital consultant as he is below the lower range for height in the red book. No history of delayed puberty for us. Growth hormones have been mentioned but I feel very unhappy about the possible side-effects. Also - and I know this is easy to say if you're of normal height - I wonder if "treating" shortness in this way could be psychologically damaging? (not meant as any criticism of any such choice by the way, it just bothers me).

Ecmo · 10/06/2008 14:40

my dd2 is 11 and 122cm tall which is tiny

she hates it.

MrsSnape · 10/06/2008 14:42

I would be worried about the weight of him, my 7 year old DS is underweight and still weighs over 3 stone.

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