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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m the mom to a very short 14 year old son.
He’s adopted and I suspect his birth parents were very small based on where he is from.

A friend recently suggested growth hormones and I always thought this was for medical issues vs genetics.

Anyone have any insight here?

I looked it up but I’m not clear on whether it’s helpful or worth it. [/quote]

Consult with a doctor.  Growth hormone is only warranted when there is a biochemical reason limiting growth, like when a normal hormone in the body is deficient.  As another PP said, it will not help a human grow beyond their normal genetic disposition.  In your case, it is worth consulting with a doctor as you are less likely to tell whether your son's growth issues really are genetic (e.g. short family) or whether there are some other factors perhaps from his treatment as an infant/child prior to adoption that might be limiting him.  Additionally it is harder to tell whether there is a hormonal issue without a doctor's help and testing.[/quote]

I have a child on growth hormone therapy. This is not something you can just do because your child is short. First off, the meds cost $4500/month and it is a bear fighting with the insurance to get them covered. Financially it’s just not do-able if your insurance declines it - which they will unless it is standard of care for your child’s diagnosis, and most insurance requires your child to be below 5th percentile for a year prior to initiating therapy. Second, it is a years-long commitment of daily injections to get a few extra inches in height. In our case, it is worth it because without this therapy, my child would be short enough that it would be a disability (below around 4’8” means you need special modifications to car pedals to be able to drive, things like that). Fortunately my child is a girl so it’s much less of an issue socially, but we will be very lucky if we can get her to 5’ with about 7 years of this therapy. A pediatric endocrinologist is the specialist who can diagnose growth disorders and prescribe treatment, if appropriate. [/quote]

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