Girls getting their "cycle" earlier and their height?

[tinkerdorabelle]

Hi,


Last week, I was talking to an old high school friend of mine...she said that her pediatrician mentioned this interesting comment.

"Nowadays, girls are not getting as tall as their moms becuase the girls are getting their menstrual cycle earlier than their mothers due to the growth hormones in the food products".

My girlfriend believes in this therory. He daughter got her period at the age of 11 and stands at 5'3", at the age of 20. My girlfriend is 5'5" and got her period at 13.

yes, I can concur that I was surprised to hear that about four or five girls (that we know about) of my 11 year old daughter's friends had gotten their period at the fourth grade!!!!

Has anyone else heard of this height/cycle theory?

Yes, I totally agree with this theory and have seen it first hand with children I know. We really need to watch what we eat and as a nation and hopefully change what is put in our foods. My thoughts are too lengthy to print here, but I've studied nutrition, natural health, etc., etc., and the hormones put in our food, just for monetary gain (fatty quicker growing animals), is outrageous. We ingest this, and who knows what other long-term effects it's going to have.

I have to also agree that childhood obesity may contribute to this, but again this is also due to the food we eat, such as high fructose corn syrup which is one of the worst things you can ingest and is in so many things. And bad fats. Again goes back to what is on our grocery shelves as the "normal" food. We really need to address this as a nation. And also of course make our kids go outside and play like we all did.

 

[CathrynRose]

This is interesting.

My g/f got hers at age 11 - and is 5 foot

I got mine when I was 14 - and am 5'6"

And another g/f got hers at 16 - and is 5'9 1/2"

INteresting theory.

 

[Green Tea]

My pediatrician told me that once a girl starts her cycle, she will only grow one or two more inches. I was pretty surprised by this, I had never heard it before. But for my DD, it turned out to be true.

This is what I always heard as well. But, it didn't pan out with my DD. She hasn't followed any of the theories listed here. She has continued growing for 4 years and hasn't stopped yet, has grown at least 6 inches, weighed far less than 100 pounds at onset & started her period well prior to any other signs of maturation.

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

I've heard the weight thing before but I dunno. I was 13 when I got it, and I was always short/thin. When I was a freshman in college I weighed 85 pounds. I wasn't 100 until I graduated, so I don't know about the 100 pounds thing. I am 4 ft 10 though. My 11 yo DD is already 5 ft and 115, and had 1 period in March, but nothing since. I always was sort of regular, meaning I always got it but sometimes it was 26 days, sometimes 35, until after I had DS at 30; now it's 28. So, hmmmm...

 

[mom2travel]

I had not heard about a height correlation; weight makes sense, at least as far as body fat goes. Genetics makes sense too, as a feed-in to environmental impacts. I, myself was almost 14 when my cycle started, and am 5' 8". DSis was about the same age, and is an inch or two shorter. I am figuring that DD will be at least 14 if not older, partly due to genetics, and partly due to size, etc. She is 9 1/2 and about 50.5" and 54lbs; as a PP said, as a competitive gymnast she has practically no body fat either. I imagine that it'll take a while for her to hit 100lbs! Right now I'm crossing my fingers she is big enough to not use a booster seat in the car by the time she starts middle school!

She's going into 4th grade next month, and I'm so not ready for any of her friends to start this yet! Not sure if they do "the talk" in 4th; DS wasn't in this district for 4th. DD does know a lot though, like how babies come out (haven't tackled how they get in yet! ). I'll make sure I talk to her soon about the menstrual thing though - would much rather she hears it from me before from her friends

 

[carone0318]

Based on weight, my dd would still be in one and she is going into 8th grade. She's actually old enough to sit in the front seat, but thankfully she doesn't mind sitting in the back still. She only sits up front if we are short on space.

Right now I'm crossing my fingers she is big enough to not use a booster seat in the car by the time she starts middle school!

 

[IDoDis]

I was told my our pediatrician years ago that that girls will usually only grow 2 more inches over 2 years after the onset of menses, but there will always be some who will not follow this pattern. Generally though, that is what one can expect.

My DD started her period when she was 11 1/2. I was surprised because she had some signs of puberty, but not so much when compared to others who appeared to be further into the stages of puberty than her who had not yet started. I figured we had another 6 months to a year, but that didn't end up being the case.

DD weighed 92 pounds when she started. She is a figure skater and has very little body fat and excellent muscle tone (wears a size 1 in Jr. pants now). Her pediatrician said she would most likely not start ovulating until she was around 100 pounds and that her growth would probably slow down,which it did. She was 5"1 when she started and now she's 5"3 almost 2 years later. Her feet haven't grown at all since she started. She may get another 1/2 inch in growth over the next year, or she may be done growing. She's only grown 1/4" in the last 6 months.

A good friend of mine has a dd the same age. She always fed her kids organic foods and milk. She NEVER bought regular store milk. I went organic with the milk for a while, but it was too darn expensive and we drink about 6 gallons of milk a week in this house, so I switched back after a year. Her DD and my DD were on the same growth patterns with regards to puberty, so the organic foods had no impact.

DD used to be as tall or taller than most of her friends, but she was also the first to start her period within her friendship circle. About 1/2 of the girls still haven't started yet, and most of them are as tall or taller than DD.

 

[delilah]

Well, I throw the 100lb/only growing an inch or two later theory right out the door. I started at age 12, and was 4'10" tall and weighed 75lbs. I am now 5'2 1/2" tall. Seriously, though, I didn't hit 100lbs until my second year of graduate school (I was 24 years old then).

 

[wall*e2008]

My cousin got her period at 9 years old. She is 53 years old. My aunt was told this was not uncommon. She is taller than her mom. I do know there are hormones in the milk that can make some develop earlier but 9 is not too young.

 

[carone0318]

But you might have had enough body fat for your period, regardless of your weight. That's why I said it's not necessarily the 100#, but it is a general guide that right around that weight you have enough body fat to get your period.

Well, I throw the 100lb/only growing an inch or two later theory right out the door. I started at age 12, and was 4'10" tall and weighed 75lbs. I am now 5'2 1/2" tall. Seriously, though, I didn't hit 100lbs until my second year of graduate school (I was 24 years old then).

 

[m&m's mom]

The "hormone" in milk isn't used as a growth hormone in humans nor is it a sex hormone. It's called "Insulin-like Growth Factor 1" or IGF-1. IGF-1 naturally occurs in most bodily fluids (including your own saliva) and is found in ALL milk... whether it be the milk from a herd given rBST to increase the milk yield, or the expensive organic kind that many think to be "hormone free". IGF-1 doesn't grow udders on young cows, nor breasts on middle-elementary aged girls.

As pointed out by a PP, the most likely culprit for the downward trend in puberty isn't environmental chemicals, but the rise in childhood obesity. The body interprets fat as a sign of "times of plenty" and a good time to bear offspring and the lack of fat just the opposite. This is also why many female athletes with nearly no body fat will stop "cycling".

Also keep in mind that "Precocious puberty" is medically generally defined in girls as puberty before age 9. Age 9 and older is considered "normal".

That's very good information, thank you for posting. I feel there are huge myths in regards to hormones in foods.


My DD was 12 years and 9 months (just happened, that's why I remember the months) when she started her period- hates is already, but that's another story. She was about 75-80 pounds and probably 5 foot even.
I would be very surprised if she stopped growing and ended up being 5'2. I am the shortest person in my family at 5'4 and my husbands family all males and females over 5'10.

MY DD started way after I did. I think I was 9 or 10.
Now other DD is 9 and zero signs of any puberty.

 

[SydneyFalco]

In addition to the possibility of food factors, odd as they may seem, there's also the "light" theory. I.e. humankind is now able to keep the lights on all the time, and at such an intensity, that it stimulates more growth than was previously normal.

As usual, however, I suspect the stonemasons.

 

[Feralpeg]

It would be an interesting study. I started at age 12. I am 5'6". DD started at age 10. She is 5'2".

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The "hormone" in milk isn't used as a growth hormone in humans nor is it a sex hormone. It's called "Insulin-like Growth Factor 1" or IGF-1. IGF-1 naturally occurs in most bodily fluids (including your own saliva) and is found in ALL milk... whether it be the milk from a herd given rBST to increase the milk yield, or the expensive organic kind that many think to be "hormone free". IGF-1 doesn't grow udders on young cows, nor breasts on middle-elementary aged girls.

This would make a great thread in and of itself. I don't think "hormones in milk" is well understood (I admit, even by myself). I just googled around a bit and learned some things. Anyone care to take a stab at it (so as not to hijack this thread)?

 

[RachelEllen]

The height/puberty connection is well established. The estrogens associated with puberty cause the bones to mature and the growth plates to fuse.

Although it's well established that girls are hitting puberty earlier, it's not as clear why. As other people have mentioned, overall increased weight is thought to be a culprit, but there may be other factors.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

My grandma, my mom, and myself all started when we were 11. I'm 2 inches taller than my mom, and my mom is a few inches taller than my grandma.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well, I throw the 100lb/only growing an inch or two later theory right out the door. I started at age 12, and was 4'10" tall and weighed 75lbs. I am now 5'2 1/2" tall. Seriously, though, I didn't hit 100lbs until my second year of graduate school (I was 24 years old then).

You are mixing it up. The 100lb theory is in childhood obesity. That is different from starting your period when you are genetically programmed to do so.

Genetics are the majority of the factors.

 

[MusiqChic99]

I got my period when I was 11. I am not tall at all but neither are my parents. My mom and I are the same height now actually. And I weighed under 100lbs. But I got hips/****s/period about the same time.

 

[clgwli]

Three of us in my group of friends all got theirs within months of each other at about age 11. One is 6', on is 5'8" and the other (me) is short at about 5' tall.

All my other friends are taller than me but most got theirs around age 12 or so. Some of the gymnasts I knew though got theirs much later (around age 15) yet they were just about my height give or take. A lot of the females in my family are very short so I think genetics has more to do with it

 

[Laura]

Hi,


Last week, I was talking to an old high school friend of mine...she said that her pediatrician mentioned this interesting comment.

"Nowadays, girls are not getting as tall as their moms becuase the girls are getting their menstrual cycle earlier than their mothers due to the growth hormones in the food products".

My girlfriend believes in this therory. He daughter got her period at the age of 11 and stands at 5'3", at the age of 20. My girlfriend is 5'5" and got her period at 13.

yes, I can concur that I was surprised to hear that about four or five girls (that we know about) of my 11 year old daughter's friends had gotten their period at the fourth grade!!!!

Has anyone else heard of this height/cycle theory?

Bunk, IMO. I'm 5'3" and got it at 13, a few months after my birthday. My sister is 5'0" and got it at the same age, also a few months after her 13th birthday. I'm about as tall as my mom was. I also have a 16-year-old niece who is MUCH taller than her mother. Like about a foot. Her mom's a shorty and her dad is tall.