When Being a Tall Girl was a Medical Condition…
Abstract
Widely varying reports of methods and results have confused evaluation of estrogen as a means of limiting the height of tall girls.
This comparative study of 21 treated and 17 untreated girls above the 97th percentile for height indicates a statistically significant probability that exogenous estrogen limits ultimate height, but only by an average of about 4 cm (1.6 in).
The JAMA Network, JAMA Pediatrics, doi:10.1001/archpedi.1973.04160010045010, January 1973.
The optimal starting age appears to be before bone age 13 years. Starting treatment before bone age 11 1/2 years did not improve results.
In offering this treatment, one must weigh the potential ill effects of estrogen administration to young girls against a demonstrated modest decrease in mature height.
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