An Australian study has confirmed fears that the use of a sex hormone to reduce the adult height of tall girls impairs their ability to have children.

The Hobart-based Menzies Research Institute has conducted the first research into the long-term side-effects of oestrogen treatment, which has available since the 50s in Australia, Europe and the US.
At the time, tall girls were thought to be at a social disadvantage and could find it difficult to attract a partner.

Dr Alison Vernon says the study found treated women are 80 per cent more likely to have difficulty conceiving, or to have seen a doctor for fertility problems.

“Even when we looked at women who did become pregnant, we found that for each month of trying to become pregnant it was more difficult for the treated women than the untreated women,” she said.

“It took them longer to conceive their first pregnancy.”

Dr Vernon says girls as young as 10 are still being treated, but the practice is no longer as common.