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J Med Ethics 2009;35:713-714 doi:10.1136/jme.2009.030189
  • Brief report

On the ethics of oestrogen treatment for tall girls: an update

  1. P Louhiala
  1. Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  1. Correspondence to Dr P Louhiala, Vuorikatu 17 as 3, FI-13100 Hämeenlinna, Finland; pekka.louhiala{at}helsinki.fi
  • Received 10 March 2009
  • Revised 30 July 2009
  • Accepted 4 August 2009

Abstract

New empirical evidence on the long-term effects of oestrogen treatment for tall adolescent girls has shown that the intended psychosocial benefit of the treatment may not have been realised. This paper describes recent trends in the prevalence of the treatment and the results of a large Australian cohort study evaluating girls assessed between 1959 and 1993 for excessive growth. The paper concludes that oestrogen treatment to prevent extreme tallness should belong to the past, not to the future.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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