Reply to Delayed puberty and growth hormone injections

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m the PP. forgot to say explicitly that there is a big difference between growth hormone injections and testosterone injections.

Growth hormone is for kids who are deficient in growth hormone and they take it nightly until they’re done growing.

Testosterone is to jump start puberty and kids often get a shot per month for a few months. It’s for constitutional delay of puberty. Sounds like you are talking more about the latter than growth hormone. [/quote]

OP here- yes, this is specifically what I’m talking about, testosterone shots. I didn’t realize they were different from growth hormone shots, sorry for the confusion.  What my pediatrician had mentioned was a few months of injections to kickstart puberty and we are headed to a pediatric endocrinologist in July to explore that further. According to my pediatrician, she thinks he will attain his full height potential at some point but possibly not until college. We are worried about the emotional and psychological implications of this since we see him becoming hyper focused on his lack of growth and increasingly depressed. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting the shots and the risks inherent within vs letting him arrive at puberty naturally but risk having him become mentally unwell. Thanks to all who have responded- it’s a hard topic to research as a lot of the information online is contradictory and confusing, so I really appreciate all of the responses![/quote]

Pediatrician here again. I am so relieved! I trust you to make the best choices for your child, but I was worried you were getting advice from someone maybe a bit sketchy. Testosterone makes sense, whereas the GH did not.

Agree with the prior poster that "jump-starting" puberty with a sex hormone (testosterone) can help with the negative psychological effects of CGD without affecting final height.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556315

[quote]Constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) can cause significant psychological distress in adolescent boys. Although testosterone usage in this group has not been shown to affect the final adult height, the effect on the first year height velocity has not been widely reported.
...
More recent studies and randomised control trials have shown that the use of testosterone in CDGP does not affect the final adult height. Most clinicians, who consider treatment, wait until a chronological age of 14 years and a bone age of 12 years. A short course low-dose depot of intramuscular testosterone has been shown to be a well-tolerated and effective therapy (18). The aim of the above therapeutic interventions has been to bring forward the growth spurt without a decrease in height potential. 
...
Our study showed that there is a significant improvement in the first year height velocity in boys with CDGP, treated with a short course of testosterone injections, compared to those not treated. This has an important implication in improving the patient’s self-confidence with his peers and plays an important role in the psychological well being of the patient. 
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