Delayed Growth As A Child

[PeggyV]

I wonder if any of you had the same experience. I was very small when I was young. I started high school at 4'9" and 80lb. I am now 5'5. I grew when I turned 16, and also started my period midway through my 16th year. My sister is 3 years younger and was always the same size as me. Could this be the reason I took so long to grow? My mother mentioned this to me a few days ago and I started thinking about it. Just wondered if being Gluten Intolerant could have played into this.

[Guhlia]

I'm only 5'3" and that's probably stretching it... I'm the shortest one in my family so I'm assuming that Celiac played a role in my height.

[PeggyV]

I could understand if I stayed small, but I grew, so maybe I was just a "late bloomer" like everyone said.... I used to be 5'6" but now that I am 50, I think I am closer to 5'5".

[jacqui]

I wonder if any of you had the same experience. I was very small when I was young. I started high school at 4'9" and 80lb. I am now 5'5. I grew when I turned 16, and also started my period midway through my 16th year. My sister is 3 years younger and was always the same size as me. Could this be the reason I took so long to grow? My mother mentioned this to me a few days ago and I started thinking about it. Just wondered if being Gluten Intolerant could have played into this.

Yes, it can cause growth delay. My daughter has a double whammy in that she also has Hashimoto's autoimmune disease, which also stunts growth and her bone age is less than 5y/o and she is 61/2. I myself am only 5ft. 1/2in. and have both also! I was always tiny and ate like I had a bottomless pit. My sister just finally got diagnosed with Celiac aftre my nagging and she is 5'2" and we have always been close in size too.

It also causes late onset puberty. I was the same as you 16 y/o when I got it and I had it for a month straight full force!!

I have also been reflecting and goig "Hmm, now it makes sense."

I also had endometriosis...

Good Luck,

Jacqui

[wowzer]

This makes sense to me. I was a late bloomer. I was always the smallest person almost all the way through school. Finally I hit 5 feet when I started high school. I grew until I was 18 and made it to 5'4". My little sister whom was diagnosed at a year, was the same way.

[bbuster]

My son is almost 13 and is 4'6". He has always been small, mostly less than 3rd percentile. Over the years he has been to an orthopaedist, urologist, and had growth hormone levels checked many times - and everything always came out normal. I am 5'6" and his dad is about 5'10", and he is barely taller than his sister 3 years younger (many of her classmates are taller than him).

When I learned about 2 years ago that a friend had Celiac, my son's small stature prompted me to have him tested and sure enough, he had it. (He never had any GI symptoms.) It took us several months to get the diet worked out and he finally got negative bloodwork last summer. Since then he has filled out considerably but not grown a lot in height. We are hoping he will have a spurt any time now.

[PeggyV]

My son is almost 13 and is 4'6". He has always been small, mostly less than 3rd percentile. Over the years he has been to an orthopaedist, urologist, and had growth hormone levels checked many times - and everything always came out normal. I am 5'6" and his dad is about 5'10", and he is barely taller than his sister 3 years younger (many of her classmates are taller than him).

When I learned about 2 years ago that a friend had Celiac, my son's small stature prompted me to have him tested and sure enough, he had it. (He never had any GI symptoms.) It took us several months to get the diet worked out and he finally got negative bloodwork last summer. Since then he has filled out considerably but not grown a lot in height. We are hoping he will have a spurt any time now.

I am glad you caught it early. I bet he does grow. Good luck.