Hormone Replacement
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Nearly all girls with TS will have to have hormone replacement therapy, both to induce puberty and as replacement of female hormones through adulthood.It is also essential for keeping bones healthy. When a girl with Turners Syndrome reaches a certain age (usually between 12 and 14) An extremely small amount of oestrogen will be given to them, in the form of tablets or patches. The dosage of this oestrogen will gradually be increased. Some time before the adult weekly dosage is reached, progestogen treatment will also be started, meaning a monthly bleed (sort of like a period, but not as heavy) will then start. On average, the time taken to reach full dosages of progesterone and oestrogen is about 2 years from first starting the treatment. However, it's important to realise that there is no strict rule to this. The doctor may increase your dosage of oestrogen at a slower/quicker rate, meaning it will take less/more time to reach the adult dosage. Some people take the treatment in the form of a tablet, and some have it in the form of a patch. Both are equally as harmless and effective as far as I know, but both have features that you may find annoying, so it is basically whichever you find most comfortable. As far as I know there are not any major side effects in most cases, as you are simply replacing what should be there.
 
I was unfortunate to be late in starting my treatment of oestrogen, as I was diagnosed so late. I started having an extremely small dosage of oestrogen about 3 and 1/2 years ago. This was initially in the form of an HRT patch which I had to cut up.

This gradually increased (i.e. I started by taking 1/4 of a patch once a week, gradually progressed to half a patch twice a week) until I was getting enough oestrogen for monthly bleeds (basically periods, but not quite) at which point I needed progesterone too (this is because it keeps your uterus healthy when you have the bleeds) I am now on what is basically the birth control pill. I am as well developed as any other woman, and I get no side effects. I would give this advice to any teenagers with TS out there regarding hormone replacement;
 
  • Please DO TAKE any hormone replacement medication you're given. I know this sounds really obvious, but I have heard of the odd girl who refuses it, for some reason or other. There's really no escaping it though. It's probably the most important medication you'll take, and is essential for keeping you healthy (especially your bones) and for making you develop into an adult with a potentially healthy sex life, leading me onto the next point.....
  • Trust me on this, because most of the struggle is believing it....... with the right hormone therapy most girls with Turners are as developed as any woman, and perfectly capable of having a healthy sex life! Most of the struggle comes from lack of self esteem that girls with Turners often develop from knowing they are different, but I can tell you from my own experiences there's nothing to stop you from having relationships.
  • Be patient!Things are not going to happen instantly. Give it time. The doctors are likely to put you on such a small dosage of oestrogen at first that you may notice little, if any, change.
  • Don't worry about your peers being more developed than you. Plenty of girls don't develop until quite old. Teenage girls are all too busy worrying about their own bodies to worry about yours, so it probably won't even have crossed your friends minds that you're not as developed.  
  • If you are feeling a little self-conscious, there are all sorts of things like padded bras out there. Invest in them until the time comes, and nobody's any the wiser (PS, plenty of non-TS teens are probably doing exactly the same thing!)