Does Testosterone Make You Taller?
If testosterone can give your muscles a boost, can it also give one to your height? Yes…if you’re in your teens. If you’re hoping a little more testosterone can get you a little more height now, well, here’s how it works:
“Testosterone is a hormone produced mostly by the testicles, and to a lesser degree by the adrenal glands, which are small glands on top of your kidneys,” says Diana Londoño, MD, a board certified urologist in Glendora, California. “There’s a testosterone surge during puberty, and although testosterone is not directly responsible for your height, it influences two other hormones that do affect height: human growth hormone and insulin growth factor. That surge in testosterone will increase the level of these hormones, leading to increased height in puberty.”
Thing is, once you’ve hit your late teens, that natural T benefit stops. “Growth hormone only can give an effect to the height of a person before their growth plates in the bone have fused,” says Dr. Londoño. “Growth plates usually fuse in puberty in boys around 16 to 17 years old.” That’s where the effect of testosterone on your height tops out. Indeed, a new study of trangender boys on gender-affirming hormone treatment found that these teenagers did have an acceleration to their adult height, but that it had nothing to do with the T they were also treated with.
As an adult, testosterone therapy, when prescribed by a doctor, can help if you suffer from hypogonadism, a condition in which your testicles don’t produce enough T for a healthy sex drive and sperm count as well as healthy energy and well-being. Repeat: when prescribed by a doctor. Pills from other sources could contain harmful ingredients. And if not managed properly, T therapy can have side effects you do not want, ranging from an enlarged prostate to acne to growing breasts to shrunken testicles. You could also become susceptible to dangerous blood clots.
When it comes to your height, the stature you have right this second is where you’re meant to be. Instead of worrying about something you can’t change, focus on taking care of your body, no matter how tall it is.
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