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How Much Can a Person Grow While on HGH?

How much you can grow by taking Human Growth Hormone (HGH) depends on two major things. First is your age when you take it and second is whether you are deficient in human growth hormone in the first place. If you are an adult, HGH will not make you grow at all.

  1. A lack of HGH is only one possible cause of shortness

    • There are a number of possible causes of being shorter than average. The first and most obvious is our own genetic makeup. If our parents are short and the rest of our family is short, then it is overwhelmingly likely that we will be short, too. Similarly, if all are tall then we are likely to be tall. More HGH is unlikely to make us taller than this genetic predisposition; HGH is only effective if the reason for our shortness is a lack of HGH.

      Among other causes for lack of height, malnutrition is perhaps best-known. Again, HGH is unlikely to help if this is the cause of the restricted growth.

    Where HGH will increase growth and where it won't

    • If the cause of restricted growth is a lack of HGH, the daily injection of HGH will increase height. These injections have to be continued right through the natural growth period of the child, usually up to the age of 18 or so. The height reached will be near the height that would have been reached without the lack of HGH. That is, to around the height indicated by the genetic or familial background.

      The effects of HGH can be seen quite quickly. The growth rate will move from well below average (say, one inch per year) to well above average (say, four inches a year).

      There are effects of HGH use on adults, who have finished their major growth phase. However, these are limited to increasing muscle and bone density and possibly reducing adipose tissue (fat). The use of HGH in adults will not increase height.

    How much can a person grow on HGH?

    • A child who lack growth hormone will, in the absence of other problems, grow to his normal inherent height while taking HGH. An adult who takes HGH may well see desirable effects but will not change in height at all. How much a person can grow on HGH depends on the person's age and whether they have an underlying condition that requires treatment.

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