Estrogen Treatment in Tall Girls

Kuhn, N., Blunck, W., Stahnke, N., Wiebel, J. and Willig, R. P. (University Children's Hospital, Hamburg, West Germany). Estrogen treatment in tall girls. Acta Paediatr Scand, 66:161, 1977.—36 tall girls aged 10.3 to 15.5 years were treated with ethinylestradiol (0.5 mg/day) and norethisterone (15 mg/day). To date treatment for seventeen girls has been completed. Before treatment their bone age ranged from 11.0 to 13.5 years and mean height prediction was 185.19 cm (181.40–193.00 cm). After about two years of treatment their final height averaged 178.96 cm (171.60–183.50 cm). Predicted height was reduced by an average of 6.23 cm. The reduction in final height was significantly greater when therapy was started before a bone age of 12 years. Thirteen girls, re‐examined after discontinuation of therapy, all had regular menstrual bleeding within six months. There were no serious or irreversible side effects during the period of observation.