Human growth hormone (HGH), also known as somatotropin, is a key hormone produced in the pituitary gland that plays an important role in growth and development, especially during childhood and adolescence. However, HGH continues to have important functions even after we are grown.
Some key facts about HGH:
As we age, natural HGH production begins to decline, often significantly. This reduction of circulating HGH is known as adult-onset HGH deficiency. While a low degree of deficiency may cause only minor symptoms, more significant reductions can lead to:
If multiple deficiency symptoms are present, an HGH deficiency could be to blame. Getting tested by an experienced hormone doctor is important to determine if treatment may help relieve symptoms and improve health.
Since symptoms of growth hormone deficiency can be vague or attributed to normal aging, testing is needed to confirm an HGH deficiency.
To accurately diagnose a deficiency, an experienced hGH doctor will evaluate blood levels of HGH and IGF-1. IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor 1, is stimulated by HGH and serves as an indicator of HGH activity in the body.
The doctor will also consider factors like:
It's important to partner with a hormone clinic experienced in testing and treating hormone imbalances. Relying only on symptoms or indirect markers can fail to catch borderline or mild cases of HGH deficiency. Diagnosing the right patients leads to better treatment outcomes.
Testing should be done in the morning after fasting since HGH production follows a daily circadian rhythm.
Doctors may confirm an initial borderline result with a stimulation test, where medications are used to assess the pituitary gland's capacity to produce HGH.
Retesting levels over time also helps monitor treatment effectiveness.
Once diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, HGH therapy using bioidentical growth hormone injections can provide remarkable benefits:
With a proper Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy (GHRT) protocol, most patients enjoy benefits within the first 6 months, with further improvements over the first year or two.
If testing confirms a growth hormone deficiency, the hGH doctor will develop a customized treatment plan. Doses of hGH are carefully calculated based on health factors and reevaluated over time.
Here is an overview of the GHRT process:
Tracked over time with blood analysis and dose adjustments as needed, GHRT offers a remarkably safe long term treatment. There is no evidence that properly monitored HGH therapy raises health risks or contributes to cancer when used appropriately under medical supervision.
When considering growth hormone therapy, patients should look for clinics with extensive expertise in hormone balance and replacement. Vital Hormone Clinic physicians focus specifically on hormone-related treatment including growth hormone deficiency.
What sets Vital Hormone Clinic apart:
Left untreated, growth hormone deficiency can have subtler progressive effects like weight gain, emotional changes, and cardiovascular issues or promote more severe long term complications like osteoporosis and insulin resistance. That's why timely diagnosis and growth hormone therapy is so important.
Restoring healthy HGH levels helps adults at any age recapture their vitality and maximize their physical and mental health for decades to come. Reclaiming lost muscle mass, bone strength, and youthful vigor is possible when the root hormone imbalance is addressed correctly under a specialists' care.
Vital Hormone Clinic physicians have the advanced training and clinical experience to accurately diagnose and develop targeted treatment plans using proven bioidentical hormone protocols. We partner with patients for the long term to ensure their hormone health is optimized and maintained.
If you have struggled with low energy, unexplained weight gain or other health frustrations, HGH deficiency could be to blame. Call us today to have a free consultation with one of our hormone-focused specialists at Vital Hormone Clinic in Oceanside CA. Find out if Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy may help resolve nagging deficiency symptoms so you can feel your best again!