Human growth hormone (HGH) is an essential hormone produced in the pituitary gland that plays a vital role in maintaining health and vitality. As we age, HGH production declines leading to a growth hormone deficiency with significant effects on quality of life.
HGH therapy involves supplementing the reduced HGH levels, helping restore hormonal balance and reverse deficiency symptoms. Renew Hormone Clinic in Spanaway specializes in growth hormone treatment using bioidentical hormones to help patients look and feel younger.
HGH, also known as somatotropin, is a 191-amino acid polypeptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. It stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals.
In addition to promoting height growth in children and adolescents, HGH has important functions even after growth plates in the bones close:
Thus, optimal HGH levels are essential throughout adulthood for sustained health, fitness and slowing the aging process.
HGH production peaks during the growth spurt in adolescence and then steadily declines with age. The gradual drop in growth hormone is associated with changes seen in aging like decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, fragile bones, thinning skin, reduced exercise tolerance, and impaired psychological well-being.
Causes for this age-related decline in HGH include:
This reduction of circulating HGH sometimes leads to clinically low IGF-1 levels indicating a growth hormone deficiency.
Since human growth hormone has widespread effects, an adult-onset deficiency presents in various non-specific ways including:
If you experience a combination of such symptoms, it is prudent to get evaluated for possible HGH deficiency by an endocrinologist. Blood tests checking IGF-1 and HGH levels can confirm the diagnosis.
Since growth hormone decline is inevitable with aging, HGH therapy aims to replace what your pituitary gland no longer adequately supplies.
Exogenous HGH administration helps restore IGF-1 and growth hormone concentrations to youthful ranges, providing wide-ranging benefits:
HGH therapy works very well with other hormonal therapies like testosterone replacement in men and customized bioidentical hormone therapy for women.
Human growth hormone enhances benefits from nutritional supplementation and lifestyle changes too – by optimizing body composition, exercise ability and metabolic factors.
The overall outstanding safety profile and advantages have made HGH a sought-after anti-aging treatment.
Since blood levels of IGF-1 and growth hormone drop substantially with age, HGH decline impacts all adults – even individuals who lead very healthy lifestyles.
Some groups tend to develop growth hormone deficiency earlier and therefore derive greater improvements with timely HGH replacement:
From the 30s onwards, adults experience lowered HGH production and rising deficiency rates. Startling statistics reveal:
Replenishing the reduced growth hormone in such individuals can help restore their youthful vitality.
Brain tumors, inflammation or radiation in the pituitary region can directly damage hormone secretion – increasing risk for adult growth hormone deficiency.
Radiation/ chemotherapy that some children undergo to treat cancers like leukemia can later impair growth hormone release – causing treatable HGH deficiency.
A significant number of individuals battling HIV have low IGF-1 levels with symptoms that improve remarkably with growth hormone therapy.
In essence, any adult with clinical features of growth hormone deficiency accompanied by a low IGF-1 level can gain considerable benefits from HGH treatment – after ruling out any contraindications.
Since nonspecific symptoms like low energy, abdominal weight gain or depression can have many causes besides HGH decline, accurate diagnosis is essential before starting treatment.
Endocrinologists specializing in hormonal disorders are best placed to thoroughly evaluate suspected hormone deficiencies. Diagnostic steps include:
The physician obtains your detailed medical history and performs a complete physical exam checking for clinical features suggestive of HGH deficiency like muscle loss, premature aging, abdominal obesity and fatigue.
This blood test measuring your insulin-like growth factor-1 level is the most reliable way of detecting inadequate HGH production.
Other hormone disorders like hypothyroidism and sex hormone imbalances can produce symptoms mimicking HGH decline. So TSH, free T3, free T4, total and free testosterone etc. may be assessed.
After an overnight fast, you are administered a glucose solution or growth hormone secretion stimulant drug (arginine, clonidine, glucagon, L-Dopa). Frequent blood samples to measure growth hormone are obtained over several hours. Minimal HGH release indicates pituitary dysfunction.
Based on the combination of clinical features, IGF-1 concentrations and provocative test results, an endocrinologist confirms growth hormone deficiency and plans appropriate treatment.
While often associated with athletes and doping, nearly 80% of prescribed HGH therapy is for short stature or growth hormone deficiency in children. Patients report that treatment improves not only their height but also their bone strength, muscle mass, and confidence during formative adolescent years.
If thorough testing confirms adequacy of other hormones and that the low IGF-1 stem from HGH deficiency, HGH therapy will be recommended.
At Renew Hormone Clinic in Spanaway, personalized HGH therapy involves:
Unlike synthetic anabolic steroids, bioidentical human growth hormone has the same molecular structure as the HGH your pituitary produces. Brands like Genotropin, Humatrope, Norditropin, Nutropin, Saizen, Serostim and Zomacton contain synthetically manufactured somatropin – 191-amino acid bioidentical HGH.
As injections, bioidentical hormones provide the most physiological method of restoring deficient growth hormone levels.
Everyone differs in their optimal HGH dosage owing to factors like their age, diagnosis, deficiency severity and treatment goals.
At Renew Hormone Clinic, specialized endocrinologists determine your ideal somatropin starting dosage and titrate it over subsequent months based on clinical outcomes and IGF-1 lab results.
Typical HGH prescribed dosages range between 0.1 to 0.3 mg daily – which translates into about 1 to 3 IU daily. Such replacement doses mimic normal physiological levels, thereby minimizing risks.
Prescribed somatropin bioidentical growth hormone injections are easy to self-administer at home using small gauge pen needles into the subcutaneous fat under your skin.
When properly done, the injections are relatively painless and staff at Renew Hormone Clinic provide guidance on correctly preparing and injecting your dosage.
Most patients require their HGH dose injected daily – typically before going to bed, when your pituitary gland naturally secretes highest growth hormone.
Our endocrinologists schedule follow-up assessments at regular intervals during therapy to monitor your clinical progress and IGF-1 values. This helps ensure treatment efficacy and safety.
In most patients, the wide-ranging benefits of HGH therapy start becoming apparent within the first month itself, further increasing over 3-6 months. With patient-centered care optimization, improvements can continue over a year.
While growth hormone replacement addresses the hormone deficiency, adequately nurturing your body and mind speeds improvements and consolidates HGH therapy gains.
Our clinic offers comprehensive integrative care with growth hormone treatment encompassing:
Personalized nutrition guidance based on your health status and genetic traits maximizes lean body mass increases and fat loss from HGH therapy.
Key micronutrients like magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3, omega-3s and antioxidants amplify benefits of somatropin treatment.
Relaxation techniques like yoga, mindfulness and biofeedback together with stress vitamin C bolster HGH effects on mood, immunity and resilience.
Regular resistance and aerobic exercise amplified by bioidentical DHEA facilitates musculoskeletal and cardiovascular gains.
At Renew Hormone Clinic, such integrative solutions accompany bioidentical hormone replacement – providing multifaceted lifestyle support for peak therapy results.
Given the protean health-affirming properties of HGH, growth hormone decline produces widespread negative effects that accumulate over time and accelerate dysfunction. Research indicates:
Therefore, the earlier treatment is initiated better the outcomes. Benefits like bone protection require adequately sustained therapy.
Diagnosing and redressing HGH decline in middle age through programs like Renew Hormone Clinic’ can help proactively support strength and resilience - compressing morbidity near the end of life.
When considering growth hormone replacement, selecting an experienced HRT provider is key for safe, effective treatment.
Renew Hormone Clinic has extensive expertise in bioidentical hormone therapy led by board-certified endocrinologists and anti-aging medicine experts. We offer:
From comprehensive symptom assessments to the latest IGF-1 assays and provocative GH testing, our diagnostics accurately determine causes of dysfunction.
Tailored biobidentical HGH dosing achieves optimal restoration of deficient growth hormone levels.
Nutraceuticals, diet and lifestyle changes amplify and consolidate functional gains from somatropin therapy.
Telehealth allows remote consultations and local lab/imaging coordination promotes adherence.
With bespoke therapy aligned to your specific needs plus responsive support throughout – Renew Hormone Clinic fosters HGH deficiency reversal for lasting wellbeing.
Key Takeaways