HomeAnswersEndocrinologygrowth hormone

Is it possible to increase height at the age of 17 by taking HGH?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I am a 19-year-old male with a height of five feet four inches. Can I start using HGH? Is it too late?

Answered by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Please mention whether you have any other issues regarding your development other than height. Please mention whether you have any changes in voice and any issues in the testis and scrotum. Please mention whether their size remains normal. Please mention whether you have normal facial and pubic hair. Kindly mention your mother's and father's height. Your height should be an average of their height. If you have any other siblings, kindly mention their height.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

Everything is well in my puberty cycle. My mum is having a height of four feet eleven inches and my dad is at his height of five feet eleven inches. I know my projected height. But I am willing to take HGH shots. Will it help me? I read that it helps to increase height regardless of DNA.

Answered by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

At this age, it is impossible to have an increase in height by taking medications including growth hormones. After 15 to 16 years of age, growth plates in the bones get closed and so an increase in height is not possible in males. Growth plates are the areas having new bone growth in children and teens. They are made of cartilage. It is a rubbery flexible material. As the kids grow, the growth plates get hard and they result in forming solid bones. A growth plate that gets completely harden into solid bone is referred to as a closed growth plate. After a growth plate closes, the bones cannot grow. Growth plates usually get closed near the end of puberty. For girls, this happens around 13 to 15 years of age. In boys, it occurs around 15 to 16 years of age. In some cases, limb lengthening surgery is done.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

Does taking HGH show any effect after puberty?

Answered by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Once the growth plates are closed, there is no way to increase your height. You can do a left hand and wrist X-ray to confirm it. If your growth plates are closed, nothing can be done.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

Can I have an X-ray? If they are open, how long will they stay open? Is there any medication that helps to slow them from closing?

Answered by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Yes, you can do an X-ray to confirm it. Usually, it gets closed by 15 to 16 years of age. If it remains open and if you take growth hormones, there is no guarantee to achieve an increase in height, but there is a chance. So, it is good to have limb lengthening surgery at this age.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

If my growth plate remains open for six months, can I start taking HGH? Is this time enough to see any growth? What is the recovery time for leg lengthening surgery? When can I able to walk normally? Would I be able to exercise normally?

Answered by Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is very less likely to have an increase in height after taking HGH (human growth hormone). An orthopedic surgeon helps to answer your other question.

Medically reviewed by Dr. K. Shobana
Published At November 30, 2020
Reviewed At January 23, 2026

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Education:

BDS

Professional Bio:

Dr. K. Shobana is a Dental Surgeon specializing in oral health and dental care. She is skilled in preventive dentistry and provides oral hygiene education. She can do restorative treatments such as fillings and crowns. She can handle periodontal problems such as gum diseases and periodontitis. She can do root canal treatment.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmed is an experienced Endocrinologist and Diabetologist with expertise in managing diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, obesity, and metabolic syndromes. He specializes in personalized treatment plans focused on long-term health and disease prevention. Dr. Ahmed is committed to delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve better hormonal balance and improved quality of life through accurate diagnosis and advanced therapeutic approaches.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Listen to related tracks in our music library
Comprehensive Second Opinion

Read answers about:

growth hormonelimb lengthening surgeries

Ask your health query to a doctor online

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.