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Updated on October 28, 2026
Medically reviewed by Dr. Adrián Eduardo Cuenca Bravo. Last reviewed October 28, 2026.
In short: Growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland and drives a child’s growth in height, along with bone and muscle development. Children who do not make enough, or who have conditions such as Turner syndrome or being born small for gestational age, can be treated with daily injections of recombinant growth hormone after a pediatric endocrinologist confirms the diagnosis. Treatment is safe when monitored and continues until growth is nearly complete.
Key facts
The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland at the base of the brain to release growth hormone in pulses, mostly during deep sleep. Growth hormone tells the liver and tissues to make IGF-1, which acts on the growth plates of the long bones. Anything that disrupts this chain, from a pituitary problem to a genetic condition, can slow growth.
As soon as a treatable diagnosis is confirmed. Growth plates close at the end of puberty, so every year before that is a year of potential growth. Children with deficiency are often diagnosed between 3 and 10; children born small for gestational age can start from age 2 to 4 if they have not caught up. Starting late in puberty limits the benefit.
The pediatric endocrinologist reviews the growth chart and the parents’ heights, orders a bone age X-ray of the hand, checks IGF-1 and IGFBP-3, rules out thyroid disease, celiac disease and other causes, and if indicated performs a growth hormone stimulation test. A pituitary MRI follows a confirmed diagnosis. Details: HGH deficiency in children.
By tracking height on a growth chart at least yearly. Warning signs are height below the 3rd percentile, falling across percentile lines, growing less than about 4 to 5 cm a year in mid-childhood, outgrown shoes but not trousers, or looking much younger than classmates. Weight gain without height gain is another flag.
Children with confirmed growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, SHOX deficiency, chronic kidney disease, short stature after SGA birth without catch-up, and severe idiopathic short stature. Each indication has its own criteria in the product labels and in the Pediatric Endocrine Society guideline. A short but normally growing child is observed, not treated.
One subcutaneous injection each evening with a pen, rotating sites on the thigh, abdomen or buttock. Pens are kept refrigerated. Most children manage the injection with a parent within a week or two. Visits every 3 to 6 months measure height velocity, review IGF-1 and adjust the dose as the child grows. A once-weekly product, Ngenla, is available for pediatric deficiency.
A clear increase in growth velocity in the first year, which then settles to a steady rate above the pre-treatment one. Children with deficiency treated early often reach a near-normal adult height; gains in other conditions are smaller. Treatment continues until bone age shows the growth plates are closing. See growth hormone for height.
Most children have none. Reported effects include headaches, injection-site reactions, hip or knee pain (which needs prompt review), scoliosis progression, fluid retention and changes in blood sugar. The endocrinologist screens for these at each visit. See growth hormone side effects.
The clinic provides consultation with a pediatric endocrinologist, arranges the labs and bone age, and if a recognized indication is confirmed, prescribes an authorized brand and delivers it in cold-chain packaging with written instructions. Families traveling from abroad can complete the evaluation during their stay and follow up by video.
At HGH Vallarta, pediatric cases are evaluated by Dr. Adrián Eduardo Cuenca Bravo. The pathway is a consultation, growth records and labs, and a prescription only when a recognized indication is confirmed. See pediatric growth hormone therapy.
If height is below the 3rd percentile, growth has slowed, or the child is far shorter than expected from the parents’ heights, a pediatric endocrinologist should evaluate. Only confirmed diagnoses are treated.
At labeled doses for recognized indications, long-term registries show it is generally safe. Side effects are uncommon and monitored at each visit.
Usually several years, until growth is nearly complete. Some children with permanent deficiency are re-tested as young adults and may continue at adult doses.
Only while the growth plates are open. Once they close at the end of puberty, no treatment adds height.
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