How tall is too tall (concerns about genetic issues)

[Tap]

I took dd12 to an endocrinologist 5 or so years ago due to her height and weight. She has always been a full head taller than her peers. Doctor examined her, ordered a few basic blood tests and said she was fine, just tall and to not be concerned.  A couple years later, I updated the doctor on her current height/weight and asked if it was still ok, and she said yes.  Now dd12 is 5'10" and 250lbs. She wears and womans 11.5 wide size shoe. She seems to still be growing at a steady pace (not in spurts).  She got her period 14 months ago. I am wondering if I should reach out to the doctor again. DD takes two medications tht lead to weight gain, so her weight is assumed to be from that.  DD12 is biologically my great neice and her birth parents are mom-5'6 and dad-under 6'.  Both are naturally heavy set people.  I am 5'8. dh/ds are 6', and dd is 5'10" so I am used to fairly tall people.  Something just seems off with dd12's height/size.   My bio-kids were tall at this age, but not this tall. There are men in my mom's family that are mid-sixes (my own brother is 6'3") so there are some tall men in the family but 5'10 (my 20 yo daughter and my 12yo daughter/niece) are the tallest women I know of.  

My concern isn't her being talll....it is that we could be overlooking a medical condition. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Tap

[Lori D.]

Possibly gigantism?

[PeterPan]

https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c022.pdf  She's literally off the charts. You need a new geneticist and endo at a big big city children's hospital.

[Tap]

2 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c022.pdf  She's literally off the charts. You need a new geneticist and endo at a big big city children's hospital.

LOL at 1 year old she was off the charts. She has never been "on" the charts. 

[Terabith]

My sister is 6'1".  Neither she nor I were ever on the charts.  Generally, girls stop growing about two years after their first period, so I'd say she's probably got a little under another year to grow, but she's probably not going to have a massive spurt.  It sounds pretty normal to me, but I had precocious puberty from early childhood and saw an endocrinologist every three months for most of my childhood.  I spent a lot of time looking at growth charts and such.  

[Tap]

2 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My sister is 6'1".  Neither she nor I were ever on the charts.  Generally, girls stop growing about two years after their first period, so I'd say she's probably got a little under another year to grow, but she's probably not going to have a massive spurt.  It sounds pretty normal to me, but I had precocious puberty from early childhood and saw an endocrinologist every three months for most of my childhood.  I spent a lot of time looking at growth charts and such.  

She missed a diagnosiss of precocious puberty by a few months. The doctor said it was hard to gauge in her though, due to her weight (affects breast tissue). 

[Terabith]

Precocious puberty is a weird phenomenon.  Mostly it doesn't have any physical ramifications.  I have none, despite having breast development by age three and starting my period by my eighth birthday.  Technically, it can stunt growth, but it doesn't sound like that's an issue for your daughter.  

[gardenmom5]

I attended school with a girl who was 6' by age 12/6th grade.  she was done growing.  (1ds was at least half a head taller than his peers at that age.  he finished early. 2ds started late - he's actually taller.)  given her weight - I'd wonder if something else was going on that was affecting it along with the height.

I'd find another dr just to ease my mind.  my friend's adopted son had the opposite problem.  he wasn't growing much. (his bio dad was really small too.)   the endos weren't concerned.  she pushed for proper testing.  his human growth hormone levels were inadequate, so he gets daily injections.

[Tap]

1 minute ago, gardenmom5 said:

I attended school with a girl who was 6' by age 12/6th grade.  she was done growing.  (1ds was at least half a head taller than his peers at that age.  he finished early. 2ds started late - he's actually taller.)  given her weight - I'd wonder if something else was going on that was affecting it along with the height.

I'd find another dr just to ease my mind.  my friend's adopted son had the opposite problem.  he wasn't growing much. (his bio dad was really small too.)   the endos weren't concerned.  she pushed for proper testing.  his human growth hormone levels were inadequate, so he gets daily injections.

I used to think she was going to stop growing early. But her feet are a size 11.5....I have to wonder if she is even close to being done.

[J-rap]

You do have tall people in your family, and it sounds like your bio dd is the same height?  Some girls grow fast, early.  My dd was a head above her peers until around 14 or 15.  She's 5'9" and is taller than any women in our families, but not by much.  Her feet grew big, early.  My ds was the same way.  He grew fast and so did his feet (size 13).  He is taller than any of the men in our families, but again, not by much.  So, none of it is too surprising.  Girls usually stop growing two years after the start of their period, and that was true with my girls.  

I'm guessing that everything is okay, but it doesn't hurt to see a doctor if for no other reason than to alleviate your worries.

Edited August 23, 2019 by J-rap

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I wouldn't worry about it, really.  My bff is 5'7", and her dh is 6'4".  All three of their daughters are over six feet tall.  Since she started her period 14 months ago, I would expect her growth to start to slow down, following the shape of the growth chart curve, even if she's not on it.  

There are many tall people in her family.  If her bones are disporportionately long, or she has scoliosis, or very poor vision, or a number of other indicators of Marfan Syndrome, you could have her checked for that.  

[Junie]

Have you heard of Marfan Syndrome?  It is a genetic disorder that exhibits with above average height and a variety of other symptoms.  This page gives you a few other common symptoms of Marfan.  Not everyone has all of the symptoms, but it might be a place for you to start.

ETA: If she has several of the symptoms listed, I would definitely take her to another geneticist.  

Edited August 23, 2019 by Junie

[sweet2ndchance]

Marfan was one of my first thoughts too. My oldest son was suspected to have it but it was ruled out. He was over 6 foot tall when he started high school, he had been taller than me since he was 10 or 11. But he also has scoliosis, which inherited from my side of the family. Marfan's syndrome can cause heart problems without warning so it is definitely something you may want to be sure to rule out.

That said, my oldest daughter has always been tall for her age and has big feet. She couldn't "borrow" my shoes (size 7-8) anymore by the time she was in 3rd grade. She has what I've always called a "softball player" build. She's not overweight by any means but she is very sturdy and always has been which is in stark contrast to her younger sister who looks like a good stiff wind could carry her away. I haven't kept track of her shoe size in years but last I remember she was around a 12 or 13. There is nothing at all wrong with her, she's just a big, tall girl.

[Melissa in Australia]

at 12 I wouldn't be so worried. I grew to my height by 11  and my DD finished growing at 12. some girls have their growth spurt around  age 10 - 12  and stop.

 

 My oldest ds grew to 6 foot 3 inches by 12. He only grew one more inch just before turning 20

[Ottakee]

Might be worth a check but if there are other tall family members...grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc then it might just be genetic.

I was the shortest girl in my class at age 14....and I am 5'5.  Two of the girls were 6' and wore size 12 shoes.  Growing up in our small church there were several women who were 6' tall.  I just happen to live in an area where there are genetically a lot of talk women.

[maize]

I got my first period at age ten and achieved my adult height around age 12; I doubt she is going to keep growing much longer.

It is so hard when necessary medications cause weight gain.

[maize]

7 hours ago, PeterPan said:

https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c022.pdf  She's literally off the charts. You need a new geneticist and endo at a big big city children's hospital.

The charts only go up to 95th percentile, 5 out if every 100 kids will be off the charts.

A kid can be at the 99.99th percentile (will plot as an outlier way above the top of the chart) and still be perfectly healthy. 

My babies are habitually off the charts for both weight and height.

Edited August 23, 2019 by maize

[Selkie]

Her height wouldn't be concerning to me at this point -  I know several girls who were 5'10" or taller at that age. Unless she continues getting significantly taller into her teens, I would think she is probably just tall due to genetics.

My family is very tall, and I was always tall for my age as a kid. I got my period at age twelve and reached my adult height of 5'10" by age fourteen.

My dd didn't get her period until she was almost fifteen - she was about 5'8" tall at that point.  Now, she is seventeen and 5'11" and seems to have reached her full height.

 

 

[Farrar]

I would look into it, but I second the idea that it’s not unusual for girls to reach their adult heights around age 12/13. Even girls who keep growing usually only add a couple of inches after that age. That would be tall, but not shocking.

[SKL]

It is possible she had her growth spurt early.  (This is sometimes associated with disruptions of custody / related stress.)  I would not worry at this point.  Maybe after a year or two of continued growth I would look into it more.

My youngest is also 12.5, and while she is genetically unlikely to ever be 6', she is already nearly a foot taller than her birth mom and still growing.  I will not worry as long as she slows down before reaching an unusual final height (all things considered).

[sassenach]

Bone scans will tell them if she’s reaching the end of her growth or on a runaway train. Now is the time to do a deep dive and figure out if there’s something going on. 

[chiguirre]

8 hours ago, Tap said:

I used to think she was going to stop growing early. But her feet are a size 11.5....I have to wonder if she is even close to being done.

How long has she been an 11.5? If her feet are still growing, I'd be worried. If they've stayed the same for a year and a half or two years, I really wouldn't worry. 

As a 5'10" size 11 woman, she sounds perfectly fine to me. It is a pain to find women's shoes bigger than a size 11 so I feel for you.

[PeterPan]

9 hours ago, Tap said:

her feet are a size 11.5

That's proportional to her height. You might want to get her custom fitted at a running store that molds inserts, just to make sure she's comfortable. The stores may have put her into a longer shoe to get width. She may need a wider shoe and then the length will go down a bit. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by PeterPan

[PrincessMommy]

If it is within your financial and personal abilities, I would take her to another doctor and find a geneticist in a large hospital or university hospital.   If for no other reason than that you will *know* you have searched all avenues.   Peace of mind is so important.   Don't wait another year just to see if she stops.  If you're concerned about it do it now. 

I have a lot of regret over not pursuing further my son's pectus excavatum when both our primary care doctors said it was nothing to worry about on 2 different visits.  My son's is very pronounced and we did have an echocardiogram done just in case (all fine).  But, I still deeply regret not going the extra distance on this issue.  It still makes me weepy when I think about it.  

 

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by PrincessMommy

[SKL]

I would also note that my 12.5yo has size 10-11 feet (depending on the shoe brand), despite having short genetics.  I do not think that is indicative of anything at this age.  I do hope her feet are done growing, LOL.  I note also that my sister's 9yo is in a size 7 shoe already.  Seems big to me, but at least there will be someone for my kid to pass her shoes down to.  😛

[GEMMom]

I would look into the assumptions about weight gain as well.  I think with newer controlled studies ideas about some medications causing more than minimal (e.g., 0.5 lb) weight are being challenged.  You could look up studies for her particular meds on google scholar.

[BooksandBoys]

9 hours ago, Tap said:

I used to think she was going to stop growing early. But her feet are a size 11.5....I have to wonder if she is even close to being done.

My good friend is 6’1” and has size 11.5 feet. 

I have another very tall friend who is 6 foot and wears a size 11. 

So, it’s still possible that she’s almost finished growing despite the foot sizes. If memory serves, the teenage growth spurt is from the outside in, so feet and hands stop growing before the rest of the body. 

[Terabith]

3 hours ago, Plum said:

I have the opposite problem. Dd just turned 12 and is 4’5” and got her first period a few months ago. I kept asking the doctors about it because my oldest was always 98th percentile and up. They weren’t worried because her growth chart was consistent with no jumps or drops. I recently found my mom’s biological family and it turns out her mom was barely 5’. My paternal grandmother was also barely 5’. So dd just got the short gene.

I’m guessing your girl inherited the tall gene and since she got her period 14 months ago will probably stop growing soon. Have there been any spikes in her growth chart or has she been consistently growing?

See, THAT would worry me.  If she's gotten her period, she only has a year or two more of growth.  And at significantly under five feet, I would be urgently going to an endocrinologist to check growth hormones.  A hair under five feet would be one thing, but a final height of 4' 6 or 7" is a whole different ball game.  

Edited August 23, 2019 by Terabith

[kbutton]

If you want to get a bead on how likely it is to be something like Marfan Syndrome, this systemic calculator is great. If you use the plus signs, it expands to give details about how to observe each item. https://www.marfan.org/dx/score FWIW, you can slip in under the system score and still not have Marfan Syndrome, or have several symptoms and still not have it, but it's a REALLY good tool, and a geneticist can take you from there. If there is a history of heart issues or even sudden death (way too few autopsies are done with sudden death--the more they do, the more aneurysms they find in people who "died of a heart attack"), then you should be even more suspicious.

There are also related conditions that cause similar features, and some of those conditions are worse than Marfan and some more benign.

Without other information, I think it's probably normal for her, but not enough people ask these kinds of questions when it comes to rare diseases, so kudos to you. I think it's worth asking. FWIW, only about 50% of people who have Marfan are actually diagnosed. Those who remain undiagnosed have a life expectancy of age 40. With diagnosis and treatment as issues arise, life expectancy is near normal.

People who are clinically poster children for Marfan GET MISSED ALL THE TIME. 

So, I think it's awesome you're asking about genetic problems. 🙂 

[itsheresomewhere]

If it was just her height, I would say don’t worry. But with all her other health issues, I would definitely seek out genetics again.   There are many connective tissue disorders that quite a few of her symptoms go with.  

[Terabith]

15 minutes ago, Plum said:

Not to derail the thread, but I measured her today just to have an updated height and because your post did worry me a bit. She is 4'7" and turned 12 this month. She only just started her period, so I figure she still has some years of growing ahead. She's grown 3.5" since her last birthday. She's always been off the charts on the low end. Next time I take her for her checkup, I'll ask for an endocrinologist referral just to be on the safe side. I don't think it's anything to be worried about though. Both of her great-grandmothers were petite, and my mother and I are both only 5'4". 

Okay, good.  Yeah, I see a world of difference between just a bit under five feet and 4'5".  That's a great sign that she's growing a lot now.