'Fixing' Girls Who Are Growing Too Tall
Feb. 6, 2002 -- Psychologist Elizabeth Slater never associated the gynecological problems that have plagued her as an adult with the controversial therapy she received as a child. The light went on, she says, when she saw the ad in the Boston Globe searching for "tall girls."
At the age of 9, Slater, who was then 5'2", was treated with high doses of estrogen in an effort to keep her from growing. The practice, known as growth suppression therapy, was introduced in the 1950s. It was routinely used in the '60s and '70s to keep tall young girls from growing taller, in much the same way that growth hormones were used indiscriminately in young boys who were considered too short.
While ethical concerns about treating children with hormones in an effort to manipulate their height have slowed the practice, a surprisingly large number of pediatric endocrinologists (doctors who specialize in treating hormonal problems) still offer it, a new study finds. A third of those surveyed said they had discussed the therapy with patients, even though there have been no studies evaluating its long-term consequences.
Slater now says she believes that in her case those consequences included two major surgeries to remove ovarian cysts, early menopause, infertility, and endometrial cancer.
"I was actually relieved when I saw the Globe ad looking for women who had had this treatment," she tells WebMD. "I realized that there might be a reason for all of this happening to me. It wasn't that I was defective in some way."
The ad and the survey were the work of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group promoting preventative medicine and medical ethics based in Washington, D.C. Founder Neal D. Barnard, MD, says he was surprised to find that so many growth specialists offer the controversial therapy.
Of 411 pediatric endocrinologists surveyed around the United States, 33% said they still offer estrogen treatments to suppress growth, although only four had treated more than five young girls over the preceding five years. The findings were reported in the February issue of the Journal of Pediatric andAdolescent Gynecology.
'Fixing' Girls Who Are Growing Too Tall
Feb. 6, 2002 -- Psychologist Elizabeth Slater never associated the gynecological problems that have plagued her as an adult with the controversial therapy she received as a child. The light went on, she says, when she saw the ad in the Boston Globe searching for "tall girls."
At the age of 9, Slater, who was then 5'2", was treated with high doses of estrogen in an effort to keep her from growing. The practice, known as growth suppression therapy, was introduced in the 1950s. It was routinely used in the '60s and '70s to keep tall young girls from growing taller, in much the same way that growth hormones were used indiscriminately in young boys who were considered too short.
While ethical concerns about treating children with hormones in an effort to manipulate their height have slowed the practice, a surprisingly large number of pediatric endocrinologists (doctors who specialize in treating hormonal problems) still offer it, a new study finds. A third of those surveyed said they had discussed the therapy with patients, even though there have been no studies evaluating its long-term consequences.
Slater now says she believes that in her case those consequences included two major surgeries to remove ovarian cysts, early menopause, infertility, and endometrial cancer.
"I was actually relieved when I saw the Globe ad looking for women who had had this treatment," she tells WebMD. "I realized that there might be a reason for all of this happening to me. It wasn't that I was defective in some way."
The ad and the survey were the work of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group promoting preventative medicine and medical ethics based in Washington, D.C. Founder Neal D. Barnard, MD, says he was surprised to find that so many growth specialists offer the controversial therapy.
Of 411 pediatric endocrinologists surveyed around the United States, 33% said they still offer estrogen treatments to suppress growth, although only four had treated more than five young girls over the preceding five years. The findings were reported in the February issue of the Journal of Pediatric andAdolescent Gynecology.
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