When to consider growth hormones?

amother

Khaki

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 8:38 am

Queen18 wrote:

Cancerous tumors are listed as a side effect

Anything can cause tumors but from what I understand it not that it causes them but you're taking it and you have it will start making them grow faster

amother

Khaki

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 8:39 am

dankbar wrote:

My son was was 4.10 by his Bar mitzvah. 78 lbs. size 12 suit.
BH today as an adult (almost 21) he is bh 5.7 in height. 110-120 in weight. Men's small.

He never took growth hormones but bh started growing by leaps & bounds right after bar mitzvah. He kept going up suit sizes every half a year. In first 2 years, he jumped like 5 sizes. He went from a children's size 12 to a children's size 20.

Some kids are late bloomers that's one thing that they rule out when they do the testing to see if it's an issue or a late-blooming.

amother

Blush

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 8:45 am

I'm doing growth hormones for two of my kids. Neither has growth hormone deficiency. One for idiopathic short stature (he wasn't growing and was falling off the charts). He's been doing it almost ten years and is now almost 17 and about 5'5". My other kid has been doing it for about three years. I don't remember his current height but he is finally on the standard growth chart. He has a genetic deletion (SHOX gene) that impacts the body's ability to utilize the growth hormone it produces. Endos typically check for this. The doctor said it wouldn't add to projected adult height, just enable them to reach that height.
As for side effects, haven't experienced any. For those saying they heard it causes cancer that is not completely true. There is a syndrome (forgot what it's called) that is associated with short stature AND increased cancer risk. When those kids use hormones and later develop cancer, the two are mistakenly linked.
I don't find that doctors are so quick to prescribe and insurance gave us a very hard time with the first.

amother

Violet

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 9:42 am

amother [ Ecru ] wrote:

What are the side effects of Growth Hormones? I still prefer short people than overly tall- which probably happens when 2 very tall people marry each other

My kids have not experienced any side effects. The only effect bh they actually grew and my daughter is average height.

amother

Sienna

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 9:51 am

amother [ Tan ] wrote:

Is that the only side effect?
People keep saying they wouldn't do it because of the 'risky side effects'. What side effects? Is there proof?

I'm very curious because I got GH as a kid, and so far I'm BH perfectly healthy!

According to some information online, higher chance of strokes, tumors, premature death, etc. but you need to discuss your own risk with your doctor. I still believe GH can be very useful.

ra_mom

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 9:51 am

dankbar wrote:

My brothers got their growth spurts at 17. They went from pipsqueaks to close to 6' naturally.
Which is why children are tested and projections are made. No doctor or insurance company will give human growth hormones just because someone is short and no testing or determination has been done.

amother

Sienna

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 10:16 am

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Are there any longterm studies of whether growth hormones affect health or fertility?

If anything, they would positively impact fertility since that is another use of them...

amother

Linen

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 10:30 am

amother [ Wheat ] wrote:

does anyone have a endocrinologist they recommend near Boro park?

There’s a doctor Richard Noto in westchester that I’ve heard about from several people. He’s Supposed to be great but has months of waiting time for an appointment.

I’m looking for someone closer to Brooklyn too. My 2 dd’s turned 13 and 11 just now. The 13yr old is a late bloomer and has barely started maturing so I hope I’m not too late in the game. The 11yr old tho is developing at a much faster pace. Both are about a head or more shorter than their average age and I’m wondering, actually I am really torn, if we should go down this route.
I’m 5’1 and my husband is 5’6. I was very popular in school and at work and never had an issue because of my height besides from the towel paper tower raining down over my head at the supermarket when I tried reaching for only one. Oddly as a kid it never bothered me but now as an adult it does.

What to do.....

amother

Blush

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:37 pm

I’m very happy with the doctors at Mount Sinai. Specifically, Dr Romero. Dr Rapaport is also good. Been using the practice for over ten years. There may be a wait for an appointment though.

amother

Violet

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:42 pm

Dr. Noto is AMAZING!! Very passionate about his career. He is very short. The other doctors in the group are good too. He claims that if your pituitary gland is small you can have infertility issues as well. Many doctors will just brush off the issue of short stature and wont bother with testing. I would definitely recommend his group

amother

Sienna

Thu, Nov 07 2019, 1:46 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

Call a group like Chaim Medical to see if they can get you in.

amother

Ivory

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 4:14 am

Maybe Jewish men in England are shorter than in the US? Certainly sounds like it from this thread. Lol.

6ft is above average where I live. 5"6 is certainly not considered a disadvantage at all in my circles, never heard of such a thing!

amother

Indigo

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 4:28 am

fish wrote:

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.

Take her for a hand xray to see how much longer she can grow. You can go to an endocrinologist to discuss the results. If the hand xray result is showing her as older than her real age, see if Anastrozole is an option. This is not a hormone. It works as a blocker. It extends the time a child has left to grow.

My ds was in the teen percentile all his life. He went on Anastrozole 6 months ago. He grew over 3.5 inches. His percentile went up to the 20s, bh.

Please note: I was warned that he may have grown this without any intervention, but his expected growth with no intervention was 5 2", which is his current height. He is only 13, so anything he grows now will be amazing.

We also wanted ds to always know that we tried our best to do something about his height. I have some Male family members that are under 5 4" and they aren't to happy about it.

amother

Indigo

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 4:32 am

amother [ Powderblue ] wrote:

I can't relate to some people's ideas of short. I'm 4'10", dh is 5'3". We were concerned about our daughter, less about being short and more about premature puberty. She took the puberty blocker until 11. She's now 5' and still growing a bit.(she's 14). We're hoping she'll hit 5'2". I can't imagine injecting hormones for cosmetic (the difference between 5' and 5'2" for a girl.) The hormones we gave were rough enough with plenty of side effects. I just couldn't let her get her period on her 9th birthday.

My son is 12 and already 4'10". He hasn't really started his growth spurt. We took him to the endocrinologist who predicted his height at 5'3"/5'4". I can't rationalize a possible 2 inches for the side effects and headache.
My husband is 5'3" and manages quite fine.

See my post above. Talk to your pediatrician and endocrinologist about Anastrozole. It not hormones. You can add inches and self confident to your son.

I spoke to 3 different doctors, Including a relative that has a huge pediatric practice. They all said that they would happily give it to their own kids, if they were in the same position as my dc.

amother

Indigo

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 4:39 am

dankbar wrote:

Just curious, did he ever have a hand xray to check his growth plates?

At age 10 DS xray showed him as 9.5. By age 12 it showed him as over 13, and he also started showing signs of puberty.

I have relatives that everyone in the family is tall. Well, all the girls. The boy is short. They figured he will blossom late. That never happened.

My philosophy is do the testing, get all the information and then make a decision. Even doing nothing is a decision if it's a educated one.

amother

Royalblue

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 7:37 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

My DD had the xray at age 11 and it showed her bone age as around age 7. That's why the endocrinologist predicted that she would have a longer growth period, which B"H she did.

To the amother from Boro Park - I used Dr. Shulamith Lerner from Riverdale. She is associated with Columbia. Was very happy with her, she accurately predicted DD's full height when DD was 11, and didn't recommend GH for her.

She also had DD do a full genetic panel to rule out any issues...she was very thorough in her assessment.

amother

Emerald

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 8:28 am

I am very short and have always been self conscious and I feel it affected my self-esteem and self-confidence.
My pediatrician felt that there wasn't enough research at the time and what it could cause so it was decided that I shouldn't take anything.
Please do what you can to help your children in a responsible way and talk to them and explain what's going on, include them in the decision!

amother

Orange

Fri, Nov 08 2019, 8:55 am

My DH and are both short but not extremely short (5'1 for me and 5'5 for him). My pediatrician always said if the kids follow their growth curve (even if it's the 5th percentile) it's okay, but two of my children "fell off" their growth curve at around age 8 (ie. their growth slowed down). At that point we went to an endocrinologist who did testing and found they were GH deficient, and they were started on GH. B"H they are growing nicely. I hope my DD will reach 5 ft--without the GH she would have been way shorter than that.

Another DD was always petite but always stayed on the same curve. She had a bone age at some point that showed she was 20 months behind, meaning she would have extra time to grow. Her adult height is 4'11, which is definitely petite but still within "social norms" in the frum community.

My understanding is that insurance will cover GH for children who are deficient OR whose projected adult height is very short, I believe under 4'10 for a girl and under 5'2 for a boy (I could be a bit off on those numbers). I believe that shorter heights than those can be a handicap for adults.

Definitely see an endocrinologist to see what is going on with your children's growth!