I went to specialists as a child, from before I can remember. Mostly they just measured my growth plates and drew blood to test for diseases that could have caused my irregular height. But when I was 10 or 11 I was prescribed an estrogen supplement. The goal was to bring on puberty faster, which would slow down my growth. I don't remember a whole lot about how I felt about it. My parents didn't make it a big deal. The pills were small and yellow and tasted sweet when I took them twice a day. After six months with no period they doubled the dose. Six months later, still nothing, and my parents decided then that they would "let nature take its course."
Fourteen years later, I'm healthy. I haven't experienced any side effects from my year taking a pill intended for menopausal women. But the idea that this is, or has been, a relatively common practice is unsettling.
If anyone reading has dealt with this issue, please e-mail me at tallgirlwrites@gmail.com. I'll keep looking into this and post again with more info.
