11 year-old son has a huge bum - overweight or hormonal issue?

[OnePlumPanda]

Seeking help and I don't really know where else I could ask this sort of question. My 11 y.o boy is average height for his age and about 115lbs. He's got that broad stocky sort of build overall but doesn't look fat/overweight except for his lower-half. His bum is VERY big for a boy his age. It is a chore to find uniforms that fit. It's like he carries excess fat on his hips, thighs and legs where it isn't distributed evenly across his whole body. My older sister has lipedema and when I look at him it sort of reminds me of that.
Is this some sort of hormonal change or another condition that I'm not aware of? Or is it simply a weight issue?

My ex always carried his height on his bum and hips, thighs. He was 6ft 4 so he never looked fat.

He will grow out of the stocky stage soon. I’d revisit it if it bothers him after that.

I have no advice as I have 11 year old daughter. Is he tall for his age? Kids at that age are all different shapes due to hormones. Me and work work friend have daughters same age. Hers is 2 months older. She was saying her daughter has stocky legs and a big bum today and a short body. She does a lot of physical exercise but I think her eating is the problem. My daughter is always ‘starving’ she has long skinny legs like her dad, and has a bum and hips like me and is in a B cup bra. She has a bit of podge round her tummy but because she’s slim everywhere else you can’t see it unless she’s getting changed. She’s also in that stage of I think she’s about to start her period. If I thought for a second that she was over weight I’d definitely do something about it but at this age boys and girls are all growing different some have hit puberty and some haven’t. My godson was similar to your son and since he went to high school in the summer he’s really shot up wnd slimmed down xxx

You don't give a height, but his weight, depending on whether he's just 11 or nearly 12, is somewhere between the 98th and 91st centile. So unless he's tall for his age, he probably is carrying extra weight. Which is now so much more common it is harder to spot, as so many other children are doing the same.

My mum also has lipedema and it is genetic, as I have the water version of lymphoedema in lower legs, and it’s down to gene mutations. maybe worth getting checked.

Also my friends son who turned out to be diabetic had a huge bum but the rest of him was fairly skinny. Although as he’s got older he’s more in proportion.

We all carry weight differently though :)

Yes he's 5'1 when I measured last month actually

Was he in his teens when he grew more into proportion?

This is your observation but is he aware? Does he have the same opinion or worry? If not I’d leave it until/if it’s something that bothers him then go to the GP. If he hasn’t noticed I would not be pointing it out to him, you don’t want to make him body conscious..I am female but I have a huge bum and always have done, and not in a good way, i hate it.

Ah, not average height then. About the 91st centile, so may be carrying a bit of extra weight, but much less worryingly so than it sounded. (Based on the WHO centile charts on the RCPCH website)

Yeah from around 14/15

Impossible to know without seeing isn’t it but if you think he may have a medical condition you should contact your gp.

and though I wouldn’t ordinarily advise it, what does google say? I assume you’re thinking he may have lipedema? Does it say it starts this age? Are there some tell tell signs to differentiate? Is it common in males? What do people around you say? Does his dad or grandparent or whomever also think this is an issue or could you be hypersensitive to big bums because your sister has lipedema?

There's a genetic condition called Klinefelter's that can result in wider hips in men. I know what it is because at one point I wondered if my son had it.

Tom Kerridge has a huge bum. I think that people do come in all shapes and sizes. But I do think you can do something about some of it ie not sitting on games/ sofa and staying fit if it’s a big issue.

He is aware of it because a couple of older kids at his school made a comment and teased him about it, although based on what he said it sounded like friends poking fun at each other. It's noticeable.

Honestly info online is vague and in this situation almost always centred on women/girls. I'll definitely be seeing the GP when I can because I have questions.

Just don't tell your son you're taking him to the GP because of his bum. Say it's a general health check related to aunty X's genetic condition. Ask the GP to phrase it accordingly.

Older kids in secondary school making shitty comments are not friends. If he told you it's because it upset him.

There's no suspicion of any conditions like Klinefelter is there ?

Men will almost universally carry weight on their abdominal region. It's just where males fat distribution goes.

To carry fat on the hips and buttocks is a female fat distribution pattern ? I'll need to fact check this again, but I believe women that have apple shaped figures (abdo fat) tend to have more androgens/testosterone and women that carry fat on hips/bum/thighs (pear) have more oestrogen.

Any signs of oestrogen excess or lack of testosterone?

Other signs of Klinefelter would be breast like fat around the nipple, small penis, lack of facial hair (Although I expect at 11 the poor boy doesn't have any anyway!)

I couldn't find any decent pictures of him where his full body was visible. This one's a screenshot from a school performance earlier this year.

Excess oestrogen was my guess and it's the thing I want checked out.

That sounds sensible. Good idea to get him checked out 👍 I hope it goes well for you and him

You're right to get it checked out. All best.

He does sound a little bit overweight, so that might be contributing.

My son has a biggish bum! But it appears to be caused by lordosis (curve if the spine that gives the look of a bum and tum that stick out and a back that kind of goes in - Google it!). Could this be an issue for your son?