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When to consider growth hormones?
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fish




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 10:50 pm
My 11 year old daughter is BH healthy and has been growing on the same curve for years. My husband and I are short 5'2 and 5'4 so we expect our kids will be short but she is really really short. Have you used growth hormones or given them to one of your children? I'm wondering if it's something we should consider.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 10:57 pm
Have you tested her for Growth Hormone Deficiency?
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amother
Khaki


 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:03 pm
It's not something you decide you need to go to an endocrinologist and they monitor and do tests before they give. I have a growth hormone deficient child it's not that easy plus at that age you don't have much time I would make an appointment asap.
Any questions feel free to ask
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amother
Silver


 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:05 pm
The first place is start is with your pediatrician. Growth hormones will help someone achieve their full growth potential, they will not make your child super tall. We spoke to our pediatrician about taking that route for similar reasons (short parents and very short projected height). We were told that we could make an appt with an endocrinologist but that it is difficult to get approved for growth hormones and that the child has to meet specific criteria. We were told that as long as our child is following her own growth curve (she is) then this unlikely that we would get the go ahead.
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amother
Tan


 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:11 pm
I got growth hormones as a kid. I started at age 11 and by 13 I was so fed up, I just dropped it. My mom always scolded me that had I continued, I'd grow even taller (but I don't believe so).
Right now I'm 5 ft. And I believe that had I not taken growth hormones, I'd be 2-3 inches shorter which makes a huuuuge difference.
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:19 pm
Never. is my first reaction.

pediatric endo can check growth plates & endo age/bone density etc. to see if child is physically mature that way you see how much time they still have for growing which mostly occurs before maturing by the girls. If it shows younger then real age then they still have time to grow as they are not developing that fast yet.

Boys usually have their big growth spurts after bar mitzvah.

They also consider growth patterns in parents' history, as some only start growing a lot, only later on.
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:23 pm
If your dd would be very, very short, I think you should consider it. Go to a good endocrinologist, I would not waste time by the pediatrician.
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Librarian




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:27 pm
When my son was 13 a routine blood test showed a growth hormone deficiency. At the time my son was short but not unusually so and we are not a tall family. I was shocked when the pediatrician referred him to a pediatric endocrinologist. The endocrinologist did an extensive in office series of blood tests over several hours. The results showed he had almost no growth hormone at all. He then had to have an MRI of his pituitary to make sure there was no growth which can also cause this deficiency. He was then started on a nightly regimen of growth hormone injections which he continued until he was 17. He grew to be his projected height, 5'8" bH. Without the injections the Dr. told me he probably would not have been more than 5'2". According to the Dr., growth hormones only work for someone who has a deficiency. It's not a magic drug to make people tall. There can be side effects as well, and in that case the injections are discontinued as this is a treatment for cosmetic (albeit quality of life) purposes. In any event, the drug is incredibly expensive and insurance will only cover it if there is a demonstrated deficiency. Problems with the pituitary gland or celiac disease can also cause lack of growth so that must be checked out.
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tweety1




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:29 pm
I'm so happy somebody opened a thread on this. My pediatrician is driving me crazy abt the height of 2 of my kids. I'm short, dh is short. I mentioned this to my Dr he didn't really seem to care abt genetic history. I was comparing them to niece's/nephews their age. Some are taller but some are very comparable. The way I see it is both parents are short, plenty of shorties in the family from both sides, how can I expect to have tall kids!? Lol. I do actually. I have one kid that's very tall but to run give hormones for that? I'm short and I'm managing just fine, dh is short and is bh very successful, like why,? My pediatrician didn't wanna go into a discussion or explain things to me which I wasn't happy at all (I'm not switching Drs now so plz no such suggestions) but maybe there's something I'm not getting.
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Librarian




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:51 pm
This is not about genetic history or short stature in the family. Growth hormones are given to children and teens who have a deficiency that is evident in blood tests and not caused by other factors such as pituitary issues or Celiac disease. Some people are just short. Growth Hormones are for people that are growth hormone deficient. Only through specific tests by an endocrinologist can a diagnosis be considered.
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Librarian




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 06 2019, 11:57 pm
If a child is growth hormone deficient they certainly should begin treatment. Side effects are uncommon and the injections are discontinued for even the most mild side effect. These children will not just be "short". Maybe for a woman it's not so bad to be 4"9", but a man who is 5"2" is going to have a big challenge. This may sound shallow, but it's a fact. And if it wasn't, then insurance would not cover the $10000 a month price tag.
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amother
Violet


 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:09 am
Yes!!!! Two of my kids are taking the shots. One has a very small pituitary gland and was barely producing growth hormones. Bh she grew beautifully from the shots. She would’ve for sure been under 5 ft if not for the shots. The second was one, his body was not producing growth hormones at all.

Now that they both grew, they keep saying that they finally feel like the average kids in the class. One was very short and only recently told us how he was bullied and kids would constantly tease him how short he was.

If you have the opportunity to help your kid go for it. If you get insurance approval then you know the kid really needs it.
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amother
Azure


 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:12 am
I have a relative with male infertility who took growth hormones while growing up, & it is being blamed on that
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Queen18




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:16 am
Librarian wrote:
If a child is growth hormone deficient they certainly should begin treatment. Side effects are uncommon and the injections are discontinued for even the most mild side effect. These children will not just be "short". Maybe for a woman it's not so bad to be 4"9", but a man who is 5"2" is going to have a big challenge. This may sound shallow, but it's a fact. And if it wasn't, then insurance would not cover the $10000 a month price tag.


Why will a man that’s 5’2” be a big challenge? There are plenty short successful men among us.
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amother
Blonde


 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 2:00 am
Wait. What?
My daughter had Celiac.
What do I need to know about issues that will stunt her growth?
Librarian, care to elaborate please?
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 3:28 am
amother [ Blonde ] wrote:
Wait. What?
My daughter had Celiac.
What do I need to know about issues that will stunt her growth?
Librarian, care to elaborate please?


If food is not being absorbed because if celiac it will affect how they grow
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amother
Wine


 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 5:08 am
amother [ Azure ] wrote:
I have a relative with male infertility who took growth hormones while growing up, & it is being blamed on that

To my knowledge, infertility is not caused by growth hormone treatment, but by co occurring hormonal deficiencies that can happen in SOME people.
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 5:52 am
DD is short. We considered growth hormones but decided based on medical advice that it was not worth the risks. Besides, DD loves being short - BH. I am glad we didn't do it. Her father was extremely tall, and I am tall.
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groovy1224




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 7:21 am
Queen18 wrote:
Why will a man that’s 5’2” be a big challenge? There are plenty short successful men among us.


It's not a death sentence, but it will most certainly cause hardship. My husband's best friend is 5'3 and it was very hard for him to get dates, and was hard for him to be taken seriously in his profession. Now he is married and established enough that people respect him, but he really struggled for a long time.
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nchr




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 07 2019, 7:27 am
Queen18 wrote:
Why will a man that’s 5’2” be a big challenge? There are plenty short successful men among us.


I dont see a difference between a woman who is 4'9 and a man who is 5'2. Being short is a significant adverse quality. I know it is not something that can be controlled, but statistically short people are less respected amongst their peers and colleagues and less emotionally and physically healthy than those taller than them. If your child is short, you should do whatever you can to help them. Keep in mind that average height also includes the Asians and South Americans so the average height for an individual of European decent is taller than 5'4 for woman and 5'9 for men. If you're child is supposed to be shorter, please help them.

I personally would not consider a man shorter than 6'0 before I got married, but not all women have that same request, but you should still try to get your children to be as tall as possible because it means emotional and physical health and more success in life.
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