Growth attenuation

Growth attenuation is an elective medical treatment which involves administering estrogen to cause closure of the epiphyses of the bones, resulting in a reduced adult height. Since the 1960s this treatment has been performed primarily on children growing toward an adult height considered unacceptably excessive by their parents and doctors. The cultural consensus of what is considered an excessive height justifying treatment has differed in Europe and North America and has risen over the last 4 decades.