For young people going through puberty, testosterone plays a major role in how tall they become. But can adults grow taller with testosterone therapy? Not really. Once your growth plates have fused, the height-increasing phase is over.
If you’re past your early twenties, testosterone therapy can still influence things like sexual drive, energy levels, and overall hormone health. But it won’t increase your height. Testosterone and growth simply work differently once the body is fully developed.
In this article, we’ll walk through how testosterone works, its link with the growth hormone, and what this really means for your height and overall health.
Understanding Testosterone
Testosterone is the main male hormone, and it plays a big role in how our bodies develop. It’s linked to how tall we become during puberty, and also to things like hair, muscle, sexual organs, and even our mood and focus.
We produce testosterone throughout our entire lives, just in different amounts. Levels usually peak during puberty, which is why testosterone and growth are so closely connected. After your thirties, it slowly begins to decline.
No matter your age, here’s what testosterone does:
- Helps develop muscle, bones, and physical strength
- Regulates libido, energy levels, and motivation
- Supports brain health, mood, and focus
And really, testosterone affects both men and women.
We call it a “male hormone” because men have much higher levels, typically around 300–1,000 ng/dL, produced mostly in the testicles. Women produce testosterone too, mainly in their ovaries, but at much lower levels, usually around 15–70 ng/dL.
Testosterone levels in men can vary a lot, and the numbers don’t always tell the full story. What really matters is how you feel. Some men feel low at 600, while others feel great in the 300s. Hormones aren’t one-size-fits-all.
Higher testosterone levels do support growth during puberty. But upward, vertical height increase after adulthood? Definitely not.
Testosterone and Height: The Science
Here’s why testosterone itself doesn’t make you taller if you are an adult: What testosterone does is stimulate growth hormone during puberty, and growth hormone and promote bone growth. That’s the real link between testosterone and height.
The true determining factor for how tall we become is our growth plates. These are thin layers of cartilage at the ends of long bones. The ones most involved in height are in the legs (femur, tibia, fibula), along with the spine and the upper arm bones (humerus, radius, ulna).
These growth plates stay open through our early to late teens. Once they close, height increase simply stops.
So while hormones and height are connected, the final result depends on a mix of factors: hormones, nutrition, overall health, and DNA. It’s never as simple as “just add testosterone,” for kids or adults.
For parents, height is always a big concern. You want your kids to grow strong and healthy, and part of that is making sure their hormone levels support normal development. One thing pediatricians often monitor is thyroid function, since thyroid hormones also play a key role in growth.
- Hypothyroidism can slow growth, delay puberty, and reduce final adult height if untreated.
- Hyperthyroidism can cause rapid early growth but may lead to the growth plates closing too soon, limiting overall height.
So as you can see, how tall someone grows is not just about testosterone levels.
Growth Hormone vs Testosterone
Here comes the natural follow-up question: can growth hormone therapy make you taller? If you’re an adult, the answer is still no. As we already said, once your growth plates are closed, they can’t “re-open,” no matter what hormone you take.
Testosterone’s main effects relate to sexual health, libido, energy levels, and mental wellbeing.
Growth hormone, on the other hand, has a wider range of functions. It helps regenerate tissue like skin and muscle, supports the immune system, and even influences testosterone and growth indirectly.
But hormone-based treatments are complex. They’re not something you approach like a regular pill or supplement. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, we recently talked about how growth hormone plays a key role in certain peptide-based weight loss treatments.
Natural Ways to Support Height & Hormone Health
When people take testosterone, the body responds by reducing its own natural production. That’s one of the main reasons why, when patients come in with symptoms of low testosterone, we always explore natural approaches first.
While it won’t make you taller, increasing your testosterone levels naturally is a safer and smarter starting point.
Here at True Contour, I always start by talking with patients about how they feel, what their goals are, and what they expect from treatment. It’s part of our approach to regenerative medicine. How our body works depends heavily on lifestyle, nutrition, and overall health. And while treatments can help, sustaining results always comes from the daily habits that support your body long-term.
There are several natural ways to give your testosterone levels a healthy boost:
- Quality sleep: your hormone system resets at night.
- Exercise, especially weight lifting: working large muscles like the legs and back helps stimulate testosterone naturally.
- Lowering stress: high cortisol competes with testosterone, and chronic stress can suppress hormone production.
- Vitamin D: safe sun exposure supports hormone balance. Use sunscreen, but try to get some natural light each day.
- Healthy fats: cholesterol is the precursor for testosterone, so balanced fats in your diet can support hormone production.
- Zinc & magnesium: deficiencies in either can lower testosterone, so a nutrient-rich diet makes a difference.
- Avoid heavily processed foods: High sugars and trans fats can lower testosterone levels and work against overall hormone health.
Testosterone Therapy: What It Can & Cannot Do
In a recent episode of my podcast, Late Nights With Dr. G, we talked about testosterone therapy, and here’s the most important takeaway: this is not something anyone should take randomly or “just to try.” You always need to check with your doctor first.
Feeling tired, having low libido, or struggling to concentrate doesn’t automatically mean your testosterone is low. Those symptoms can come from a long list of things: nutrition deficiencies, chronic stress, allergies, sleep issues, overtraining, or even environmental toxins.
Testosterone shots also aren’t as simple as they look. You need the right dose, the right frequency, and the right medical supervision. And once you start TRT, your body reduces its natural testosterone production. That’s a big commitment.
And like any medical treatment, TRT comes with potential side effects. Some men can experience acne or oily skin, fluid retention, increased prostate size, or a decrease in sperm count. Here we have treated cases of Gynecomastia, as male breast enlargement can also happen when testosterone levels shift.
Originally, testosterone replacement therapy was designed for men over forty, when hormone levels naturally begin to drop and symptoms like low energy or mental fog start to show up. That was the intended population.
But in the last decade, younger men are showing signs of low testosterone too. And honestly, it’s not always their fault.
What causes low testosterone at a young age? Stress, poor sleep, environmental toxins, heavy metals, microplastics, nutrient-poor diets, and processed foods all play a role. Even intense training can temporarily lower testosterone if recovery isn’t dialed in
And for many active people, sometimes “feeling low” means they are overtraining, rather than a hormone deficiency.
If someone has confirmed low testosterone levels, jumping straight into TRT isn’t always the best move. The first step is figuring out why levels are low. Even for someone in their forties or fifties, a solid combination of proper nutrition, recovery, and exercise can often bring testosterone back to a healthy range naturally.
Myths and Misconceptions
Let’s quickly go over a few common misconceptions about testosterone and growth, and TRT in general:
- Testosterone doesn’t make adults taller. Once your growth plates are closed, height increase is off the table. And in adolescents, it’s much more complex than “just add testosterone.” Always check with your family doctor before considering any hormone treatment.
- Fatigue or low libido doesn’t automatically mean low testosterone. Those symptoms can come from stress, nutrient deficiencies, poor sleep, allergies, or even overtraining. It’s always better to look for the real cause first and support the body naturally.
- TRT isn’t a one-time medication. It’s not something you take like an aspirin. Testosterone therapy is a sustained treatment that requires proper testing, medical supervision, and regular follow-ups. It’s a commitment, not a quick fix.
Explore New Body Sculpting Treatments
At any age, the focus should always start with healthy habits: getting the sleep your body needs, maintaining good nutrition, and staying physically active. Jumping straight into testosterone therapy may sound like the easy fix, but it rarely is.
So who should consider a consultation for TRT? People in their forties who are doing all the right things yet still feel low in energy or overall wellbeing. That’s when it’s worth checking your hormone levels with your physician, urologist, or endocrinologist.Want to learn more about your health and how to reach your body goals in a safe, science-backed way? Then keep up with my podcast, Late Nights with Dr. G. Drop a like and a comment, and who knows, we may even answer your question in the next episode!