Help for height

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son was always the one sitting in the front row for class photos. He was the second from shortest kid in class all through elementary school. I always had to buy clothes one size less than his peers. He was born three weeks early so I thought that was why and accepted him in my heart as he was. I just kept giving him his vitamins and giving him a great diet. He played outside a lot too. By the time he was 19, he was 5'11". He's still growing too. Dad is 5'8" and I am only 5'4". Keep giving him his vitamins and a very healthy clean diet.

Oh, ffs. Your son did not get to be 5’11” because of vitamins and his healthy clean diet. he grew to that height because that was his genetic potential. All you did was manage not to stunt his growth, which is a pretty low bar.

+1

My DS who has always been a “poor eater” and really doesn’t eat much, loves junk food when he does actually eat + is so skinny, grew and grew and ended up on the far tall end of the family gene pool. His younger brother, the “good eater” who eats healthy and lots of it, never has liked much junk food- looks like he will end up on shorter end of the family gene pool. They both take a standard multivitamin (when they actually remember) , and neither has medical issues.

Absent a medical issue or outright malnutrition, height is mostly genes and luck of the draw.

I think it is wonderful to encourage a healthy diet etc and we all should- but it really doesn’t have much relation to height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to have to make a decision for our 11.5 yo son whose blood work shows that he's just beginning early puberty. He does not have growth hormone deficiency and if you look at his growth chart he is projected 5'5-5'6 which decent given familiy history but there are a few ethnicities (incl ours) that have shortened puberty timelines than the u.s. avg (the growth plates fuse faster) so realistically he is likely to be more like 5'4 or under. I myself (female) was projected to be around 5'2-5'3 for most of my growth chart and ended up just under 5'0 so there's a strong likelihood for this to play out.

For those saying hgh injections are only for medical purposes that's not strictly true. The FDA has approved their use for healthy males projected to be under 5'4 (and females under 4'10 I believe) but insurance companies have not gotten on board with paying for this. I'm not saying it should be pathologized but that's what the FDA decided. Obviously someone who does not have hgh deficiency is not going to get as many inches out of it as someone who has the deficiency, and it also really has to be started just as puberty is beginning to get max effect. So given that plus the cost (we anticipate having to pay 50-75k out of pocket over 3-4 years) whether it's worth it or not is incredibly subjective. But I think most people would agree that plus or minus 2-3 inches when you're projected to be 5'4 or under has a different value than when you're projected to be 6'4--at least in this country b/c it's so ethnically diverse. If you live in a country where the avg male height is 5'4 it would be perceived differently.

Another option we are considering is a medication called Letrozole which is not growth hormone but just allows the growth plates to stay open longer--giving the body more time to reach hit's full genetic height potential. The pros are that it's inexpensive (around $40/mo) and that it's just a daily pill instead of an injection. The cons are that it doesn't work as reliably as growth hormone injections (only works about half the time). It also can't be used for girls, just boys--but it's something to consider.

Just wanted to put this out there since I'm trying to organize my own thoughts around this and for anyone else who sees this whose facing a similar scenario.

As a breast cancer patient on aromatase inhibitors (of which letrozole is one) to prevent recurrence, using them for this purpose sounds mental to me and I would have serious questions about the long term ramifications. The research seems mixed. I know medications can be used for widely disparate things due to weird mechanisms of action--desmopressin, for example, is an approved treatment for both bedwetting and mild hemophilia. But the safety profile doesn't seem settled, for something that isn't guaranteed to even work and which is addressing a non-dangerous condition.

I'd love to know what research you're referring to. We have a call with the endocrinologist and this would be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to have to make a decision for our 11.5 yo son whose blood work shows that he's just beginning early puberty. He does not have growth hormone deficiency and if you look at his growth chart he is projected 5'5-5'6 which decent given familiy history but there are a few ethnicities (incl ours) that have shortened puberty timelines than the u.s. avg (the growth plates fuse faster) so realistically he is likely to be more like 5'4 or under. I myself (female) was projected to be around 5'2-5'3 for most of my growth chart and ended up just under 5'0 so there's a strong likelihood for this to play out.

For those saying hgh injections are only for medical purposes that's not strictly true. The FDA has approved their use for healthy males projected to be under 5'4 (and females under 4'10 I believe) but insurance companies have not gotten on board with paying for this. I'm not saying it should be pathologized but that's what the FDA decided. Obviously someone who does not have hgh deficiency is not going to get as many inches out of it as someone who has the deficiency, and it also really has to be started just as puberty is beginning to get max effect. So given that plus the cost (we anticipate having to pay 50-75k out of pocket over 3-4 years) whether it's worth it or not is incredibly subjective. But I think most people would agree that plus or minus 2-3 inches when you're projected to be 5'4 or under has a different value than when you're projected to be 6'4--at least in this country b/c it's so ethnically diverse. If you live in a country where the avg male height is 5'4 it would be perceived differently.

Another option we are considering is a medication called Letrozole which is not growth hormone but just allows the growth plates to stay open longer--giving the body more time to reach hit's full genetic height potential. The pros are that it's inexpensive (around $40/mo) and that it's just a daily pill instead of an injection. The cons are that it doesn't work as reliably as growth hormone injections (only works about half the time). It also can't be used for girls, just boys--but it's something to consider.

Just wanted to put this out there since I'm trying to organize my own thoughts around this and for anyone else who sees this whose facing a similar scenario.

As a breast cancer patient on aromatase inhibitors (of which letrozole is one) to prevent recurrence, using them for this purpose sounds mental to me and I would have serious questions about the long term ramifications. The research seems mixed. I know medications can be used for widely disparate things due to weird mechanisms of action--desmopressin, for example, is an approved treatment for both bedwetting and mild hemophilia. But the safety profile doesn't seem settled, for something that isn't guaranteed to even work and which is addressing a non-dangerous condition.

I'd love to know what research you're referring to. We have a call with the endocrinologist and this would be helpful.

You talk to the endocrinologist first you are ridiculous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to have to make a decision for our 11.5 yo son whose blood work shows that he's just beginning early puberty. He does not have growth hormone deficiency and if you look at his growth chart he is projected 5'5-5'6 which decent given familiy history but there are a few ethnicities (incl ours) that have shortened puberty timelines than the u.s. avg (the growth plates fuse faster) so realistically he is likely to be more like 5'4 or under. I myself (female) was projected to be around 5'2-5'3 for most of my growth chart and ended up just under 5'0 so there's a strong likelihood for this to play out.

For those saying hgh injections are only for medical purposes that's not strictly true. The FDA has approved their use for healthy males projected to be under 5'4 (and females under 4'10 I believe) but insurance companies have not gotten on board with paying for this. I'm not saying it should be pathologized but that's what the FDA decided. Obviously someone who does not have hgh deficiency is not going to get as many inches out of it as someone who has the deficiency, and it also really has to be started just as puberty is beginning to get max effect. So given that plus the cost (we anticipate having to pay 50-75k out of pocket over 3-4 years) whether it's worth it or not is incredibly subjective. But I think most people would agree that plus or minus 2-3 inches when you're projected to be 5'4 or under has a different value than when you're projected to be 6'4--at least in this country b/c it's so ethnically diverse. If you live in a country where the avg male height is 5'4 it would be perceived differently.

Another option we are considering is a medication called Letrozole which is not growth hormone but just allows the growth plates to stay open longer--giving the body more time to reach hit's full genetic height potential. The pros are that it's inexpensive (around $40/mo) and that it's just a daily pill instead of an injection. The cons are that it doesn't work as reliably as growth hormone injections (only works about half the time). It also can't be used for girls, just boys--but it's something to consider.

Just wanted to put this out there since I'm trying to organize my own thoughts around this and for anyone else who sees this whose facing a similar scenario.

As a breast cancer patient on aromatase inhibitors (of which letrozole is one) to prevent recurrence, using them for this purpose sounds mental to me and I would have serious questions about the long term ramifications. The research seems mixed. I know medications can be used for widely disparate things due to weird mechanisms of action--desmopressin, for example, is an approved treatment for both bedwetting and mild hemophilia. But the safety profile doesn't seem settled, for something that isn't guaranteed to even work and which is addressing a non-dangerous condition.

I'd love to know what research you're referring to. We have a call with the endocrinologist and this would be helpful.

You talk to the endocrinologist first you are ridiculous

Geez, ok. I thought you had made a good point and they way you worded it sounded to me like you were referring to something specific. If not, that's fine. Fwiw we were seeing the endocrinologist for another unrelated issue and just stuck around monitoring as a patient bc of short stature. I'm not ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to have to make a decision for our 11.5 yo son whose blood work shows that he's just beginning early puberty. He does not have growth hormone deficiency and if you look at his growth chart he is projected 5'5-5'6 which decent given familiy history but there are a few ethnicities (incl ours) that have shortened puberty timelines than the u.s. avg (the growth plates fuse faster) so realistically he is likely to be more like 5'4 or under. I myself (female) was projected to be around 5'2-5'3 for most of my growth chart and ended up just under 5'0 so there's a strong likelihood for this to play out.

For those saying hgh injections are only for medical purposes that's not strictly true. The FDA has approved their use for healthy males projected to be under 5'4 (and females under 4'10 I believe) but insurance companies have not gotten on board with paying for this. I'm not saying it should be pathologized but that's what the FDA decided. Obviously someone who does not have hgh deficiency is not going to get as many inches out of it as someone who has the deficiency, and it also really has to be started just as puberty is beginning to get max effect. So given that plus the cost (we anticipate having to pay 50-75k out of pocket over 3-4 years) whether it's worth it or not is incredibly subjective. But I think most people would agree that plus or minus 2-3 inches when you're projected to be 5'4 or under has a different value than when you're projected to be 6'4--at least in this country b/c it's so ethnically diverse. If you live in a country where the avg male height is 5'4 it would be perceived differently.

Another option we are considering is a medication called Letrozole which is not growth hormone but just allows the growth plates to stay open longer--giving the body more time to reach hit's full genetic height potential. The pros are that it's inexpensive (around $40/mo) and that it's just a daily pill instead of an injection. The cons are that it doesn't work as reliably as growth hormone injections (only works about half the time). It also can't be used for girls, just boys--but it's something to consider.

Just wanted to put this out there since I'm trying to organize my own thoughts around this and for anyone else who sees this whose facing a similar scenario.

As a breast cancer patient on aromatase inhibitors (of which letrozole is one) to prevent recurrence, using them for this purpose sounds mental to me and I would have serious questions about the long term ramifications. The research seems mixed. I know medications can be used for widely disparate things due to weird mechanisms of action--desmopressin, for example, is an approved treatment for both bedwetting and mild hemophilia. But the safety profile doesn't seem settled, for something that isn't guaranteed to even work and which is addressing a non-dangerous condition.

I'd love to know what research you're referring to. We have a call with the endocrinologist and this would be helpful.

You talk to the endocrinologist first you are ridiculous

Geez, ok. I thought you had made a good point and they way you worded it sounded to me like you were referring to something specific. If not, that's fine. Fwiw we were seeing the endocrinologist for another unrelated issue and just stuck around monitoring as a patient bc of short stature. I'm not ridiculous.

FWIW, the rude PP was not me (the BC patient).

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.812196/full

https://www.mdedge.com/endocrinology/article/98574/pediatrics/high-testosterone-no-growth-benefit-boys-treated-letrozole

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2019.00201/full

I've been on a different aromatase inhibitor (exemestane) for 2.5 years now. It's given me severe osteoporosis, which means I'm on Reclast at 37. My oncologist keeps offering to let me stop it and switch to tamoxifen, which I won't, because large studies have shown that it's more effective at preventing cancer recurrence than tamoxifen. But the chronic effects will probably affect the rest of my life. I would never take this for something like mild short stature, which is cosmetic and not even of a mechanism guaranteed to work. None of the studies I can find seem more than 10 years old. How could you have any idea what the effects might be 20-30 years from now for a teenager?

[Anonymous]

When my DC was falling down the growth curve and hadn’t started puberty at age 14, we had a wrist X-ray and blood work run (via pediatrician). Turns out DC has celiac disease. Short stature and delayed puberty were the only symptoms. Celiac should be among the tests that they run. It sounds like my DC was much shorter than yours, though.

[Anonymous]

You could raise the greatest son in the world and women will still dismiss him instantly if he is not tall enough and doesn’t make enough money:

That’s just the way it is.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the cancer patient (sorry you are going through that!). I would not intervene outside extreme circumstances because the long term effects are not known or studied well enough.

FWIW, I am a 5’10 woman and find some short men attractive. My husband is around my height, but that wasn’t a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could raise the greatest son in the world and women will still dismiss him instantly if he is not tall enough and doesn’t make enough money:

That’s just the way it is.

I don’t think that’s true if the guy has good personality and social skills but even if it is OP can put the 75K into a high yield savings account and give the money to the kid, which would help a lot

[Anonymous]

Sad that you would pump your kid with drugs to gain 1 inch

[Anonymous]

What size are his feet at 11.5 OP? I heard that feet size is a pretty good indicator of height. My son has super tiny feet at 12.5 so I’m concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could raise the greatest son in the world and women will still dismiss him instantly if he is not tall enough and doesn’t make enough money:

That’s just the way it is.

Women who dismiss a man over height is not someone even worth knowing. There are plenty of good women who value substance over looks or material things. Shallow women shouldn’t be in the equation of pros and cons.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been taking Letrozole for over three years and the side effects are tough to live with.

[Anonymous]

There are Truheight gummies for kids.
They contain nutrients that help with growth.
If there is a possibility that lack of good nutrition is a factor, then they might help.
Otherwise, they are probably a wise of money.
Regular vitamin supplements are cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are Truheight gummies for kids.
They contain nutrients that help with growth.
If there is a possibility that lack of good nutrition is a factor, then they might help.
Otherwise, they are probably a wise of money.
Regular vitamin supplements are cheaper.

waste of money