What Is the Standard for Normal Growth Hormone Levels in Adults?

• There is not a definitive “normal level” for growth hormone. There is a “normal range,” based on your size, weight, and age.
• A diagnoses of low HGH levels is determined by your blood level, relative to your body mass index.
• If you are diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, the safest and most effective treatment is prescription growth hormone injections.

Is there a normal growth hormone level for adults? That is a very good question. Even in an individual, growth hormone levels vary throughout the day. From person to person, there is even a greater variability on what is considered normal HGH levels.

So-called “normal” growth hormone level is not the same for everybody. The right amount of HGH for any given individual varies based largely on size and weight. Therefore, what is considered a normal growth hormone level for you, is based heavily on your size, weight, and age.

However, even though it could be difficult to state a text book normal figure for growth hormone levels, doctors use the following criteria, based on Body Mass Index, (BMI) to form a diagnosis of HGH deficiency in adults when using the growth hormone stimulation test:

• Peak HGH level less than11.1 mcg/L in patients with BMI less than 25
• Peak HGH level less than 8.1 mcg/L in patients with BMI of 25 to less than 30
• Peak HGH level less than 4.1 mcg/L in patients with BMI equal to or greater than 30

So-called “normal” growth hormone level is not the same for everybody. The right amount of HGH for any given individual varies based largely on size and weight. Therefore, what is considered a normal growth hormone level for you, is based heavily on your size, weight, and age.

Are the Normal Levels for Growth Hormone Levels Different for Woman and Men?

The above parameters are used to diagnose growth hormone deficiencies after testing. Doctors also have a range of what is considered the normal HGH levels in healthy adults. What is considered a normal human growth level is somewhat different for adult males versus adult females. The ranges for normal HGH levels in adults are as follows:

• Men: < 5 ng/mL or < 226 pmol/L
• Women: < 10 ng/mL or < 452 pmol/L

HGH levels decline as you age. That drop in growth hormone, while necessary to some degree, also can cause the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency.

Why Is It Important to Understand The Normal HGH Level in Adults?

It is important for doctors to know and understand the ranges of what is considered a normal growth hormone level, because inadequate amounts of growth hormone can be indicative of any number of health issues. A below normal growth hormone level could mean:

• Pituitary gland tumor (mostly, benign adenoma)
• Nonpituitary gland tumor: Some tumors located in the lungs, adrenal glands, pancreas, or elsewhere can secrete either HGH or HGH-releasing hormone (GHRH), and the later can stimulate the production of HGH by the pituitary gland
• Specific genetic conditions

Even in the absence of any of the above conditions or causes, a lower than normal growth hormone level, could mean that you are suffering from adult onset, or age related growth hormone deficiency.

Normal HGH Levels and Diagnosing Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults

It is an unfortunate fact of life that growth hormone levels decrease as we age. It has been long known to medical science that the rate of HGH secretion by your pituitary gland is highest around puberty, and it steadily drops year-by-year after that. This age-related decline in HGH levels involves more than just a drop in growth hormone levels.

A number of other hormonal changes occurs as we age that all influence HGH levels. For example your ability to produce insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) also decrease over time. While we have long known that HGH level drop the older you get, exactly why this happens is still not 100% understood by medical science, but we believe it has something to do with increased secretion growth hormone inhibiting factors. These are necessary to arrest the production of HGH once you reach adulthood, so that problems such as gigantism, do not occur from too much HGH once you are fully grown.

However, the decreased production of HGH while necessary to some degree, also leads to the symptoms of adult onset, or age-related growth hormone deficiency. The symptoms of growth hormone deficiency in adults include:

• Unusual weigh gain, particularly belly fat
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Sleep difficulties
• Difficulty building muscle
• Cognitive problems and memory loss
• Sexual health Issues

If you are an adult over 40, and are exhibiting any number of the above symptoms, your doctor will likely want to have you tested for a growth hormone deficiency. There are a number of ways to test for growth hormone deficiency in adults, however, they all start with drawing blood.

Testing For Normal Growth Hormone Levels in Adults

Since HGH levels in your blood rise and fall during the day, and vary from day to day, a test that simply measures the presence of HGH in your blood is not adequate enough to achieve a diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency. More sophisticated testing is required.

The way we test for growth hormone deficiency in adults is to use what are known as “stimulation tests.” Rather than testing for the presence or level of HGH in your blood at any given time, HGH stimulation tests introduce a medication that is supposed to stimulate your pituitary gland to release growth hormone. Similarly, a test that stimulates the release of another hormone, related to HGH, IGF-1, may also be used.

These growth hormone stimulation tests may be used alone or in combination. In any case, once the stimulant is introduced, your blood will be drawn and evaluated for adequate production and release of growth hormone.

What Happens If I Have Below Normal HGH?

If you have a below normal HGH level based on your individual parameters, and the results of your HGH tests, you will likely be given a prescription for growth hormone injection therapy.

Growth hormone injections are the safest and most effective treatment for growth hormone deficiencies in adults. The only way to receive authentic growth hormone therapy is with a doctor’s prescription. If you feel you may have less than normal levels of HGH, see your doctor. You cannot effectively return your growth hormone levels to normal without a prescription for growth hormone replacement therapy.

Legitimate growth hormone injections are available from several different pharmaceutical companies, under many name brands. Some of the most common growth hormone injections prescribed to treat GHD are:

• Genotropin
• Omnitrope
• Norditropin
• Humatrope
• Saizen

These differ only in their level of “quality,” their available dosages, and their delivery methods. Your medical professional will decide which is the right HGH prescription for you, based on your normal growth hormone level, and your personal needs and lifestyle.

Regardless of which brand of growth hormone you are prescribed, HGH replacement therapy is the safest and most effective form of treatment for adults with below normal levels of growth hormone.

Will Growth Hormone Therapy Return My HGH Levels to Normal?

If you have had your HGH levels tested, and you have received a diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency, you can expect to see many benefits from growth hormone therapy, such as increased muscle mass, loss of fat, and renewed energy.

For men and women who have been diagnosed with age-related GHD, once your growth hormone levels are returned to normal, you can expect to see:

• Improved fat metabolism, resulting in lower body mass index (BMI)
• Increased energy and stamina
• A return of more restful sleep
• Improved memory and other cognitive functions
• Decreased anxiety and improved mood
• Increased libido and improved sexual performance
• Stronger bones and a lowered risk of osteoporosis

In addition, HGH injections can also improve heart health by helping to reduce cholesterol, and open blood vessels that have been clogged with arterial plaque.

Make the Right Choice About Growth Hormone Therapy

Once your growth hormone levels have been tested, and you have been diagnosed with lower than normal growth hormone, growth hormone therapy is the right choice to make. If the results of your HGH blood test indicate that you are growth hormone deficient, if you do not accept growth hormone therapy, your condition will only get worse.

On the other hand, for adults who have low levels of HGH, growth hormone therapy can give them the boost they need to once again live life to the fullest!

Growth hormone injections are the safest and most effective treatment for growth hormone deficiencies in adults. The only way to receive authentic growth hormone therapy is with a doctor’s prescription.

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