growth hormones

[juliesdd]

My daughter went to a specialist who figured her to be about 4'6" as her height. The doctor wants to start her on growth hormones. Does anyone know if this will effect her eligibilty for college or even an olympic opportunity? She is an elite gymnast so she might have a chance for the Olympics. The doctor said she could get quite a few inches if she lacking in making growth hormones.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

These are all good questions, but obviously better answered by your medical professionals! And the bottom line is that her health MUST supersede any athletic dreams. BUT . . .

How old is your DD? I had a neighbor (several years ago) who's son wasn't growing adequately and they did put him on growth hormones. My understanding was that they had to be administered when the child was pretty young (keep in mind, it's been more than 10 years now, so maybe that thinking has changed). He did grow a few inches but he's still very small compared to others in his age group.

 

[Bobby]

Whilst I can't answer your questions, I do hope you'll coime back later and share the answers?! My children are tiny too. But then, so am I.

 

[gymgirly1]

whats wrong with being short ? look at shawn jonson she a little taller .How old is your dd ?I would think you would wait for the eligibility for college or the Olympics would be a smart idea .....In my opinion I would walk around as a little persone than miss my eligibilty olympic opportunity

 

[nettyinpa]

I agree with the rest of the posters. Think twice about doing something like that. She'll grow on her own, or she won't, what's the problem? If she's that good of a gymnast and has Olympic dreams, her growing won't help but would hinder her chances. I'd get a 2nd opinion on this. Sounds like something I'd let alone. JMHO

 

[gymch34]

People who I know go to a specialist for this kind of diagnosis & their treatment on the hormones is very closely monitored. In their cases, its not just about being short, but the fact that thier organs do not grow either, so their heart, lungs, etc would stay too small to be considered safe as an adult.

 

[Gymdad2]

I completely agree that you should seek more than one opinion about what is best for her future health and well-being. While I am a 'dedicated' gymnastics parent (some might say obsessed) I do not think you should let any gymnastics consideration enter into your decision. While it may seem important now, in the overall scope of her life and her health it is a minor consideration. And height is not a completely limiting factor in gym - consider Svetlana - what is she - 5'8"?

 

[NotAMom]

A few positive things to consider:
- for the most part, girls are called petite and cute. Boys are just called "short" and many have inferior complex.
- as mentioned, for an exceptional gymnast with a big dream, to me a gradual growth is pretty critical. Growth spurts tend to throw off their bodies in doing skills. She might end up spending more than correcting and repositioning herself with old skills than learning new ones.
- small women tend to age much better. This may matter when she gets older.
- dependent on her age, she may still have a few years to grow.

Most importantly, if you decide to go for growth treatment, I agree with everyone else that you should first get additional professional opinions on the matter.

 

[RCGgymratmom]

I had to join the forum when I read this post. My DD was tested for lack of growth hormone by an endicronoligist. She had to have blood work and a bone scan. They also measured her height and had us come back in 3 or 6 months - can't remember which, but anyway, there was a target growth that if met, meant you would definitely not, unless the doctor was very aggressive, take HGH. The HGH shots have to be taken every single day once you start. It is a big commitment and if your insurance does not cover it, the treatment costs about $30K. My daughter's bone age was almost three years younger than her actual age so she will probably grow in college. We did not do the GHG and she is now taller than her sister and me, and is still in high school, so she could potentially grow even more - she is now taller than 5'2" probably more like 5'4". Make sure to go to a specialist before you do anything and research the treatment as well.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

when medically indicated, certain of these medications may be approved by usada [united states anti-doping agency] and documentation will have to be provided when the time comes. if your daughter qualifies international elite, there will be random drug testing involved.

something to consider. a level 10 male gymnast age 16 here in our state a few years ago fractured his femur on a seemingly perfect double full on floor excercise. the replay was analyzed several times and there was no indication of improper take off or landing.

the orthopaedic doctor came back with a conclusion that the growth hormone was the culprit. apparently this conclusion was based on an mri, various blood tests, and 2 bone biopsies. there were "markers" in his femur with an apparent weakness. my understanding is that the bone can become less dense in certain areas of all the bones due to these growth hormones. although i am not a doctor or expert, it was enough conclusive information for me that growth hormones were probably not a good idea if the child was, or was to become, a high level gymnast.

i then checked this with dr. larry nassar. larry is the team physician at michigan state and the team physician for usag. his opinion was that maybe growth hormones were not a good idea given the forces and ballisitic nature of take offs and landings in gymnastics.

there are other contraindications, therefore more research on your part is necessary. you can contact larry at the michigan state website. he will answer any questions you might have because your daughter is a gymnast.

good luck!

 

[ellabella]

If you are talking about Khorkina she is not 5'8".

 

[coachmolly]

I had a friend on my team growing up who had growth problems. Not only was she tiny, but she did not look her age at all which was cause for a lot of ridicule. I'm not sure if there were any other issues involved though. Instead of putting her on growth hormone she was given another drug (also to be injected daily) that served the purpose of holding off puberty. It allowed her a little more time to grow because, as I understood it, when puberty hits growth finishes shortly after. She stopped taking the drug when she was about 15 I think and was still tiny, but looked her age. She went to a specialist at well renowned hospital to work through all of these problems. But I don't really know any of the details and could have gotten something wrong, but there are other options besides growth hormone to help your child reach an adequate adult height.
Get another opinion from a specialist and go from there.

 

[gymluvr33]

As someone who has been taking growth hormones since I was 8, I would say that if your doctor believes that this is best for her health, than it should be something you seriously consider. I don't know everything about the science, but I do know that the number of hormones in your brain can effect your happiness level, so the artifical hormones actually help you keep from being depressed as an adult. If you need any other information, just pm me and I will be happy to answer as well as I can.

 

[gymluvr33]

Sorry, after I posted, I realized that I hadn't actually answered the question. As for college eligability, I am fairly sure that there are no issues, but as I'm definately not anywhere near going to the olympics, I have no clue about that. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are not eligability issues by using this medicine. Again, if you have any other questions, just pm me and even if I don't know the answer, I can ask my mom and she will probably know.

 

[nevertooold]

I really cannot comment on how growth hormone would affect your daughters gymnastics but just want to share our experience with growth hormone.

My son was treated with radiation (and chemo and surgery) for a brain tumor at age 10. He stopped growing completely as the pituitary was damaged by the radiation. He began daily injections with growth hormone around 12 and continued until 17. He grew gradually from about 4 ft 2 in to his current 5ft 6in... not tall but tall enough to drive and function in the average sized world.

If the growth hormone is medically indicated then insurance pays for it. This type of care is provided through an endocrinologist. I have heard lots of criticism of growth hormone as many think that it is used for vanity, that people just don't want to be "short". To let my son stay 4 ft 2 for the rest of his life would have caused a lot difficulties that we could circumvent with growth hormone.

 

[juliesdd]

My daughter had the bone age and just took the blood test. Right now her height will be 4'6".