How Tall Will My Baby Be? A Genetic Explanation

The minute you find out you are pregnant, you will be all caught up to know every minute detail about your baby before they are even born. More than the hormones, your thoughts will go into overdrive to know about the hows, whats, and whens. After all, what do you expect pregnant women to do for 9 whole months than to think about their little one? Have you too pondered if your baby will have brown eyes like your partner’s, or red hair like yours? Or if he/she will have fair skin like yours or your husband’s dusky skin tone? Just like their hair, eyes, and skin color, you must have also thought about how tall your baby will be. If you too are curious to know about the height aspect of your baby, continue reading our article as we break down everything there is to know about the baby’s height.

A Simple Technique For Calculating Your Baby’s Adult Height

There’s no foolproof way of calculating the maximum height that your baby will reach. But you can make a reasonable guess using this technique (1):

1. Add the mom’s and dad’s height. You can measure it in inches or centimeter.
2. Now add 5 inches or 13 centimeters if you are having a boy
3. For girls, subtract 5 inches or 13 centimeters
4. Divide this number by 2

Remember, a lot of factors including genetics come into play in determining the height of your baby (2). Children also grow at different rates. While some grow faster, others can be late bloomers. Girls reach their maximum height at age 12 while boys take 2 more years to reach their peak height than girls.

Genetics Role In Determining Height

The DNA sequence variants have a major role to play in determining your baby’s height (3). It’s known that 80% of an adult’s height is controlled by the DNAs. But which genes and variants play a role are yet to be completely understood. Certain variants in a gene can impact the height of an individual, also causing short stature. Environment factors, including nutrition, can also have an impact on the individual’s height. There are over 700 gene variants that have a modest effect on the height of a person than other variants of genes. Some of these variants are present in genes that have a direct impact on the cartilages of legs and arms. It is yet to be found as to how the other genes impact the height of an individual.

There are numerous genes such as the FGFR3 gene that can result in rare disorders affecting a person’s height. Other genes include FBN1, GH1, EVC, and GPC3 which can have extreme effects on height. ACAN is one such rare gene which can cause a severe growth disorder. Since height is calculated by several gene variants, it’s tough to predict the maximum height a child will grow. Certain combinations of genes can make kids grow as tall as their parents or can cause siblings having different heights. Hormones can also play a role, which is also determined by genes (4).

Even External Factors Have A Role To Play

Other than genetics and biological factors, how much nutrition a mother consumes during her pregnancy, and if she is exposed to illicit drugs or smoking can also have an impact (5). Diet, socioeconomic status, healthcare, and ethnicity are other non-genetic factors that influence a child’s height.

You must have seen kids grow up to be taller than their parents or tall parents having average height kids. There are also cases where the siblings are of different height. Even though we know that genes have a role in determining the height of an individual, until now doctors have found no way to predict the exact height your child will grow up to. What you can do is eat right and make sure you are meeting the nutritional needs of both you and the baby. Even after birth, make sure he/she gets proper nutrition and healthcare to ensure that your child grows up to be a healthy and happy individual.

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