Working with hormones and Endocrinology

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greatbigbuff

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I am really interested with the hormones in the body and things like testosterone and growth hormone-replacement therapy. I know this has to do with endocrinology, but does a normal endocrinologist work with this kind of treatment? Or is there some kind of special training to do this?

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I don't know of many adult endocrinologists who deal with those therapies, but I know many pediatric ones who do.
-S.
 
What about the whole anti-aging therapy? Or is that done by other kinds of doctors?
 
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Out of curiosity - if I went into med-peds, might there be a possibility of an combined endocrine fellowship anywhere? I'd be interested in GH therapy too, but just doing peds endocrinology would probably be on the restrictive side...
 
Yes, there are ways to integrate both adult and peds fellowships into one. It's not something official, so I think you would have to contact programs specifically.

-S.
 
My understanding is that the studies are still pending on whether or not growth hormone supplement or testosterone therapy is beneficial is still in the clinical trials stage. Of course, a lot of the alternative medicine gurus would have you believe otherwise, but that's why they're alternative. I certainly wouldn't choose to base my career on giving growth hormone or testosterone in my office at this point. There is a field of "anti-aging" out there, it mainly consists of alternative practioners, gerontologists, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons; I had not heard that a lot of endocrinologists had entered this field as the research behind using endocrine therapies isn't there yet. Even if it was eventually proven that everybody looks/acts younger with hormone supplementation, if taking some pill or getting some shot is truly proven to be "anti-aging", then I suspect that it would fall more under the realm of primary care docs as everyone would be getting it as opposed to endocrine specialists. I suspect that there will probably be an anti-aging agent that will be uncovered, it will probably be discovered by endocrinologists, but I doubt that it will have much of an impact on practicing endocrinologists.
 
I think GH therapy is well accepted in cases of demonstrable deficiency or girls with Turner's Syndrome. It's when a child is short for other (very possibly unknown) reasons that I'd be hesitant, despite the recent US guidelines.

I can't common on testosterone, but I seem to remember hearing it's popular in California as a "female viagra"?
 
Originally posted by Lara
I think GH therapy is well accepted in cases of demonstrable deficiency or girls with Turner's Syndrome. It's when a child is short for other (very possibly unknown) reasons that I'd be hesitant, despite the recent US guidelines.

I can't common on testosterone, but I seem to remember hearing it's popular in California as a "female viagra"?

Yes, GH does have it's indications in those who are "vertically challenged". I was referring to the idea of using GH as an anti-aging agent as some studies have suggested increased lean muscle mass and healthier BMI's in elderly people who take GH; no one really knows the long term side effects of taking GH for such purposes.
 
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