Can estrogen hormones stunt a boy’s height?
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I would like to ask this question about my life. This is more of a hypothetical situation than one based on reality. During my childhood, I lived on a split schedule: one week at my mother’s house and the second week at my father’s house, and this would go on and on. At my father’s house, there lived my father’s girlfriend.
I am asking if it is possible for my father’s girlfriend to have put estrogen or some other hormone that can stunt height in my food secretly to stunt my height. Kindly answer my queries below:
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Is this scenario even possible, and would you have easily noticed its effects?
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How much estrogen would a teenage boy need to take to stunt height, and how long would it take?
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Would it get absorbed if put in food?
I am now 6 feet tall, but I am worried that I was stunted a bit if this is real.
Kindly help.
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I read your query and understood your concern.
You described a situation in which you lived alternately with each parent during childhood and wondered whether your father’s partner could have added estrogen or another hormone to your food to stunt your height.
I can reassure you that this scenario is extremely unlikely. Hormones such as estrogen would not remain active or have any biological effect if mixed into food, as they are broken down during digestion.
To influence growth, very high and repeated doses would be required, usually delivered by injection, patches, or prescribed tablets taken regularly over a long period of time.
If significant estrogen exposure had occurred during adolescence, you would likely have noticed clear physical changes at the time, such as breast tissue development, reduction in muscle mass, or altered body hair and fat distribution. These changes would have been noticeable and persistent.
Furthermore, your current height of 6 feet indicates that your growth was not stunted and is above the average for adult males. While your concern is understandable, there is no medical basis to suggest that such an event could have occurred unnoticed or that it would have had any effect on your final height.
If these worries continue to cause you distress or anxiety, it may be helpful to discuss them further with your general practitioner or a mental health professional for reassurance and support.
I hope that this answers your query.
Kindly follow up if you have more doubts.
Thank you.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for an informative response.
I feel much better now.
Thank you.
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
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