A hormonal imbalance can take an enormous toll on someone’s health. And that’s because hormones are crucial for the body to function optimally. For those unaware, hormones are chemicals that coordinate numerous bodily functions, which they do by carrying messages through the blood to your organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues. These bodily functions include supporting and regulating blood sugar, growth and development, metabolism, sleep, reproduction, and blood pressure.
Below-average hormone levels can severely disrupt these and other bodily functions and can even open the door to life-threatening medical conditions. Some of the more notable of these include diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, kidney disease, cancer, infertility, and anxiety and depression. Fortunately, there are natural and medicinal ways to resolve most hormonal imbalances, including low human growth hormone (HGH) levels.
How Many People Struggle With Low Human Growth Hormone Levels?
Before delving into how prevalent HGH hormonal imbalances are in the U.S., let’s take a moment to learn more about what human growth hormones are. Human growth hormones are peptide hormones secreted by the pituitary gland, 1 of 8 major glands in the endocrine system, and the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that serves as the body’s control center. During childhood and adolescence, HGH stimulates the growth of bone and cartilage. While they don’t play as big of a role in this capacity during adulthood, they are still essential. According to data from Cedars Sinai, HGH continues to play a role in supporting and regulating the following during adulthood:
- Blood sugar and fat metabolism
- Body composition
- Body fluids
- Bone density
- Heart function
- Libido
- Muscle mass
- Stamina
- Strength
Available data shows that as many as 6,000 adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with an HGH deficiency annually. And most of those who are diagnosed with such an imbalance are aged 45 or older. As of the writing of this article, an estimated 50,000 adults are living with or managing low human growth hormone levels. Having a hormonal imbalance of this kind can trigger the following symptoms:
- Anxiety and depression
- Chronic fatigue
- Decreased libido
- High cholesterol
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
- Reduced muscle mass
- Reduced strength and stamina
- Thinning or sagging skin
- Weakened cognitive function
- Weight gain
Many people with low human growth hormone levels turn to all-natural remedies to help normalize them. Some of these include exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and consuming a healthy, well-balanced diet. Some also turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which entails using FDA-approved prescription drugs that stimulate the pituitary gland and hypothalamus to produce and release more growth hormones into the blood.
What Beginners Should Know About Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy
If you’re thinking about starting HGH therapy to combat a growth hormone deficiency, you will have to be formally diagnosed with a deficiency by a licensed physician first. Such a diagnosis requires diagnostic testing to assess growth hormone levels in your blood. For reference, between 0.4 and 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) constitutes normal and healthy growth hormone (HGH) blood levels. An insulin tolerance test is the most common diagnostic test for checking growth hormone levels in adults. However, there are other tests, such as glucagon, arginine, and clonidine stimulation tests. If these tests confirm a human growth hormone deficiency, most physicians will prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT). They will also advise of possible side effects associated with taking prescribed HRT medication, some of which include the following:
- Edema of the hands or feet
- Headaches
- Mild hypothyroidism
- Muscle or joint pain
- Pancreatitis
- Vision problems
Because HGH-based HRT medications, such as Humatrope, Nutropin, Saizen, and others, are administered via injection, most physicians will also instruct individuals on where to inject HGH medication into their bodies. According to Genentech, a biotechnology company that manufactures growth hormone medicines, including Nutropin, the injection sites for prescription human growth hormone medications are the thighs, upper arm, abdomen, or buttocks. Of course, one should avoid using the same injection site repeatedly since doing so could lead to lipoatrophy or fat tissue damage. The company also encourages individuals to follow dosing guidelines set by their physicians. They also advise individuals to have their HRT prescription filled at a licensed pharmacy to minimize their chances of getting poor quality, ineffective, or counterfeit medications. Lastly, the company advises individuals to monitor their progress and to alert their physician if they notice anything unusual.
The Importance of Having Realistic Expectations When Starting an HRT Regimen
Many people start an HRT regimen to combat a growth hormone (GH) deficiency and believe they will see results overnight. It doesn’t work quite that way. Appreciable results, which include relief from low GH symptoms, take time. On average, it can take up to 2 weeks for most people to see subtle changes after starting an HRT regimen. Some of these include improved sleep quality and increased energy. More substantial improvements are not typically seen until 3 to 6 months after someone has been on an HRT regimen.
These improvements include fat loss, improved skin texture and elasticity, and increased muscle mass and strength. Factors that influence how quickly someone will see results after starting HRT to combat low GH levels include their age, overall health status, and medication dosage. It is worth noting that adopting healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, not smoking, and keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum, can help speed up HRT results.
In summary, a human growth hormonal imbalance can negatively affect the body in many ways. But all hope is not lost. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits can resolve such an imbalance. The same holds for HRT. However, individuals should familiarize themselves with the side effects, the timeframe for results, and other factors associated with starting such a treatment modality.
