>>12475418realistically, steroids are not going to assist with growth. you're talking about height, right? stature.
you stop growing taller not long after puberty starts. puberty starts earlier in females, which is why females are shorter than men. estrogen starts the process for epiphyseal plate fusion. males during and after puberty also produce estrogen. eunuchs were very tall, because this process was interrupted. in those who begin puberty earlier, they're generally shorter than those who begin later. generally.
in theory, if you were to delay puberty, you could squeeze some extra height out. however, it's very complex and you're interfering with a lot of down-stream processes. sex hormones interact with the brain, estradiol has effects on memory and executive function, it's complex.
i'm 24 years old, 5'11", i've used steroids since 18, and took growth hormone for for about a year at 18. i went to school for chemical engineering and had a focus on biomolecular engineering. i also do a lot of endocrinology research in my free time because i think it's interesting to learn about. i often think about "what if", in terms of ways i could have maximized myself, had i known what i know now.
in terms of growth hormone, and maximizing height, you have to start before puberty. i don't have studies pulled up in front of me, but the best results are for kids who start before 13, and even with long term (years) treatment, the absolute best results are usually 3 inches of height gained. and even then, these kids do not end up tall. you don't end up 6'4", you end up like 5'8" instead of 5'5". more likely, you'll get about an inch and a half out of a treatment which can cost 100k a year. there are genetic limits to just how big you can get. if every male in your family is about 5'9", even hormone treatment is probably not going to ever make your kid 6'8". it just doesn't happen. that's my understanding of the literature.
i'll continue this in a reply.
