Don’t miss two growth spurts The human body has two growth spurts, the first one in the first year after birth, the annual increase of 20-25 cm, the second one before development, the annual increase of 8-10 cm, this is also the best time to adjust height (especially girls). The length of the growth period varies from north to south, usually only 2-3 years for children in the south, shorter than children in the north. Females begin their rapid growth period at about 10 years of age, and then slow down after their menarche at about 12 years of age. In general, girls start to grow slowly after the first menstruation, and the slow period after development is 2-3 years, with a total growth of about 3-5 cm; boys start to grow slowly after the end of the growth spurt, and the slow period after development is 3-4 years, with a total growth of about 6-8 cm. Therefore, the key to ideal height is to reach or exceed the standard length before the slow growth period.
The growth process of height is mainly regulated and controlled by the hormones secreted by the endocrine system. From the age of 3 to the beginning of puberty (about 10 years old for girls and 12 years old for boys), children grow 5-6 cm in height each year during this period. Due to the regulation of growth hormone and sex hormones, children’s growth accelerates again when they enter puberty. Growth hormone plays a dominant role in human growth, and a deficiency of growth hormone can cause short stature.
Growth hormone plays a dominant role in the body’s growth, and if it is deficient it can cause short stature. In addition, sex hormones can trigger accelerated growth during puberty and accelerate epiphyseal maturation while promoting sexual maturation, so precocious puberty can lead to premature epiphyseal closure, causing height growth to stop.
It is recommended to check the average height standard. Your child is considered to be short when his or her height is significantly lower than the average height of the same age by more than 5 cm. Also, recall your child’s growth record. If your child’s growth rate is less than 7 cm/year in infancy (under 3 years old) and less than 4-5 cm/year in children (3 years old – puberty), your child may be considered to have growth retardation. In both cases, the cause needs to be found as early as possible.
The basic process of growth is regulated by genetic factors, and gene expression is influenced by the internal and external environment. If you can remove the undesirable factors that affect gene expression, your child can eventually get the genetic height he or she deserves. Dr. Huang said, “We have found in our clinic that the height growth process of many children is often affected by a number of undesirable factors. These undesirable factors usually include – nutritional factors, such as long-term picky, partial or unreasonable diet, zinc and other trace elements deficiency; psycho-psychological factors, such as poor family and social factors, stressful study, lack of sleep or late sleep, etc.. These undesirable factors can lead to mental depression in children and affect the function of growth axis; other factors affecting height, such as digestive malabsorption, chronic infection, hypothyroidism, diabetes, etc.
If boys have enlarged testicles and penis and pubic hair before the age of 9, and girls have breast development and even menstruation before the age of 8, it means that the child belongs to precocious sexual maturity. At this time, due to the stimulation of sex hormones, although the size jumped upward, epiphysis closed early, growth stopped early, which can eventually lead to adult short stature.
In the face of the problem of unsatisfactory height of children, parents should not “rush to the doctor”, nor should they ignore and listen to the nature. The first step is to scientifically test your child’s bone age: the age of bones, referred to as bone age. Bone age can accurately reflect the height of a person from birth to full maturity at all ages. On the basis of the bone age test, the child’s height growth in the next few years can be more accurately determined, and the child’s final height can also be scientifically determined. Children of the same age do not always have the same bone age, and their growth potential can vary greatly. If parents don’t know their child’s bone age, they won’t know where the problem lies if their child becomes short in the future.
The second step is to cultivate good habits under the guidance of experts: research shows that the height growth of adolescents can be divided into three growth stages: pre-development, development and post-development.
Children in different stages of growth, the factors affecting the growth of height and focus on different. Under the guidance of experts, good habits are essential for children’s height and healthy growth, and parents should not rely on “assumptions” or “hearsay” to guide their children.
The third step is to take targeted measures to solve the obstacles to children’s unsatisfactory height: there are many factors affecting children’s height, including genetics, bone age, disease, emotions, exercise, diet, nutrient absorption, sleep, development, endocrine status and so on. Each child has different obstacles to growth, so scientific testing is needed to comprehensively analyze and accurately determine the obstacles to the child’s unsatisfactory height, and take targeted and personalized comprehensive solutions, and at the same time, under the guidance of experts and the child’s active cooperation, in order to let the child grow taller scientifically.