What is HGH Therapy

Your body’s metabolism, energy levels, and body composition are regulated by numerous factors, including a tight balance of several hormones.

The human growth hormone (hGH), also known as somatotropin, is one of the key players in this hormonal balance.

While its role in childhood growth and development is well-known, hGH also plays a major role in the quality of life of adults. There is a decline in growth hormone levels with age.

Inadequate hGH production can lead to fatigue, fat gain, muscle loss, slower metabolism, and many other complaints.

Keep reading, to discover more about the role of hGH in maintaining hormonal balance, and how to receive legal hGH therapy when medically indicated.

What is Human Growth Hormone (hGH)

HGH is a hormone, naturally produced by an endocrine organ in your brain called the pituitary gland. This hormone owes its name to the effects it has on children. More specifically, it regulates the growth process from birth until late adolescence.

Human growth hormone (hGH) plays a crucial role in adult health as well, due to its extensive impact on human metabolism and the functionality of various tissues and organs. Human growth hormone benefits include:

• Regulating the distribution of body fat
• Facilitating the breakdown of body fat, particularly in the abdominal and visceral regions

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• Boosting the production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
• Enhancing tissue growth, which aids in maintaining muscle and lean body mass
• Promoting stronger bone mineralization
• Offering protection against hypoglycemia during fasting
• Supporting thyroid gland functionality

Unlike most hormones, hGH is not produced continuously. Instead, the somatotroph cells in the frontal part of the pituitary gland produce it in pulses.

Depending on factors such as your lifestyle and the levels of your sex hormones, you may normally experience only a few or even just a single peak of hGH on a daily basis.

Such peaks typically happen at the same time of day and usually occur soon after falling asleep. In between the peaks, your hGH levels may be undetectable, even if you are healthy.

Research indicates that women generally have higher hGH production levels than men, attributed to elevated estrogen levels that exhibit antagonistic properties to the human growth hormone.

In males, hGH levels can peak at about 10 ng/mL, whereas in females, the normal range can reach up to 14 ng/mL.

The peaks in hGH have an effect on several hormones, but most notably the so-called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

This hormone mediates all the anabolic effects of hGH such as stimulating the normal growth process in children (especially in the epiphyseal growth plates which result in bone elongation and higher height) and lean mass gains in adults. It does not fluctuate as much, so its levels often reflect the total amount of hGH produced daily.

Is HGH Steroid?

HGH is frequently misunderstood as a steroid because of its anabolic characteristics towards muscle mass, combined with fat-burning properties.

This is why synthetic forms of the hormone are also often included within the so-called “steroid stacks”, used by some athletes for physique and/or performance enhancement.

HGH is indeed effective for enhancing exercise capacity and athletic performance when taken exogenously. This may help individuals gain a competitive edge over others, which has also led to the prohibition of hGH by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

However, hGH is not an anabolic steroid, but a peptide (small protein). Just like the majority of peptides and proteins, hGH consists of amino acids. More specifically, it is made of a single chain of 191 amino acids that create a unique sequence.

Hormones like hGH that are composed of short amino acid chains are classified as "peptide hormones." Unlike steroids, which interact with the androgen receptors inside cells, hGH is a hormone that engages with specific hGH receptors to exert its unique effects.

This sequence can also be produced synthetically, via a DNA-recombinant technology. The product is also called recombinant hGH (rhGH) and is identical in structure and effects to its natural counterpart produced by the pituitary gland.

Recombinant hGH is also known as somatropin and is the only approved form of hGH therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Who Needs HGH?

You may need hGH in the form of recombinant hGH therapy if you have symptoms of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Such symptoms may include a combination of the following:

• Increased abdominal fat and decreased muscle mass
• Low energy and motivation
• Reduced exercise capacity
• Sleep disturbances
• Depression and diminished life quality
• Elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• Poor bone density

• Reduced sexual desire and performance issues

Recombinant hGH therapy is approved by the FDA for 10 specific conditions, including GHD, which can be idiopathic, congenital, or acquired. Other approved indications are:

• Short bowel syndrome (SBS)
• Muscle wasting associated with HIV/AIDS
• Poor growth in childhood linked to chronic renal insufficiency
• Turner syndrome
• Noonan syndrome
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Infants small for gestational age
• Deficiencies involving the Short stature homeobox (SHOX) gene

Many of these disorders can begin in childhood and persist into adulthood, often necessitating ongoing hGH therapy.

Additionally, clinical trials suggest that health conditions such as adults with growth hormone deficiency, SBS, and muscle wasting due to HIV/AIDS may also manifest in adults and qualify for hGH treatment. In addition, patients with AIDS may experience HIV-related growth hormone deficiency.

Human growth hormone deficiency is the most prevalent condition treated with hGH. Growth hormone deficiency in adults is typically acquired through factors like pituitary tumors, trauma, surgery, infections, infarctions, or exposure to radiation affecting the pituitary gland.

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The Benefits and Risks of HGH

HGH therapy offers several advantages for individuals with low GH levels, including:

• Reduction of abdominal fat
• Increase in muscle and lean body mass
• Enhanced energy and motivation
• Decrease in depressive symptoms
• Boost in sexual drive
• Improvement in bone density and a reduced risk of fractures

Studies of growth hormone therapy indicate that within the first month, many patients begin to observe noticeable changes in their body composition, such as reduced belly fat. Long-term advantages encompass gains in muscle mass, bone density, and an enhanced overall quality of life.

During hGH treatment of growth hormone deficiency, women may notice accelerated growth of hair and nails, alongside better skin condition.

Conversely, clinical studies suggest that men might see improvements in erectile functionality and sexual performance.

However, most benefits do not last permanently, and symptoms could reappear after discontinuing HGH therapy.

HGH side effects

Similarly, the majority of side effects due to hGH therapy are temporary and go away once the treatment stops. They are typically linked to fluid retention. Moreover, adverse reactions tend to occur only when the medication is not dosed properly.

High-dose hGH therapy can lead to side effects such as:

• Fluid retention and swelling
• Joint pain and muscle pain
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Elevated intracranial pressure and headaches
• Increased insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels

Prolonged exposure to large amounts of hGH may also lead to long-term effects such as growth of bone thickness and the development of signs of acromegaly.

On the other hand, it is noteworthy that low-dose hGH typically does not provoke adverse effects.

How to Get HGH Legally?

Any practicing physician is authorized to prescribe legal hGH treatment, following an in-person consultation.

Nonetheless, consulting a specialist in endocrinology is often a wise decision. Specialists are well-equipped to assess your symptoms, conduct necessary stimulation tests, and monitor potential side effects.

For instance, at besthghdoctor.com, our endocrinologists have deep expertise in hormone replacement therapies, including hGH treatments.

They can carefully access your complaints and evaluate the need for hGH therapy, as well as prescribe any of the leading hGH brands such as Norditropin, Genotropin, Humatrope, Saizen, Omnitrope, etc.

All these brands meet the highest quality standards as they contain recombinant hGH, identical to what should be naturally produced in your body. Thus, their effectiveness and potential side effects are also identical.

However, you should keep in mind that genuine and legal hGH can only be obtained with a valid prescription from a licensed physician. Acquiring hGH products without a doctor’s prescription must be avoided, as their purity, safety, and efficacy cannot be guaranteed.

How to Get Legal HGH Online?

As mentioned hGH prescription requires an in-person consultation and cannot be issued online.

However, you can buy legal hGH from licensed online pharmacies in the U.S. with a valid prescription. It is critical to purchase legal hGH injections solely from accredited pharmacies that require such a prescription, as counterfeit hGH is quite common.

Although sellers that do not require a prescription and often offer lower-priced options may seem appealing, such products are often counterfeit and come with no assurance of quality, safety, or efficacy.

Moreover, it is important to note that genuine hGH is only available as injections. This is due to the delicate protein structure of the hGH molecule, which prevents effective absorption through oral or transdermal administration.

Further, over-the-counter hGH alternatives, such as homeopathic remedies or dietary supplements like hGH boosters, are not effective substitutes.

Products marketed as hGH in the form of pills typically contain herbal ingredients that claim to boost natural hGH production, but their safety and effectiveness lack rigorous scientific validation, leaving potential risks undetermined.

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