A composite score across the four pillars that depend on GH output: sleep depth, training recovery, body composition, and (optionally) IGF-1. See whether your axis is supporting you, or whether sermorelin is appropriate.
Fill in your profile to see a GH-axis score across sleep, recovery, body comp, and (optionally) IGF-1.
Most patients with low scores see meaningful sleep and recovery shifts within 4-8 weeks of starting sermorelin.
Score range is 0-30. The bands aren’t diagnostic, they’re a structured way to think about whether the GH axis is the right intervention to consider.
Sleep, recovery, and body comp are working. GH-axis support unlikely to add much. Focus on lifestyle compounding.
Some pillars are slipping. Consider lifestyle interventions first; sermorelin reasonable if you’re also over 35 or training-focused.
Multiple pillars compromised. Sermorelin is a reasonable consideration alongside sleep and training optimization.
Sleep, recovery, and body comp are all under-served. Sermorelin frequently produces meaningful change in this band. Verify with IGF-1 lab.
Growth hormone is hard to measure directly, serum GH is pulsatile and unreliable. The downstream tissue-level effects are the practical signal.
The vast majority of GH release happens in deep (stages 3-4) sleep. Patients with low GH output almost universally report poor sleep depth, frequent wake-ups, and feeling unrested. Sleep depth is often the first thing to improve on sermorelin, usually within 2-4 weeks.
Growth hormone plays a role in tendon, ligament, and connective-tissue repair. Slow recovery from normal daily activity and recurring soft-tissue issues can be signs of age-related GH-axis decline in adults over 40. This pillar reflects clinical assessment for documented decline.
GH preserves lean mass and selectively mobilizes visceral fat. The classic “adult GH deficiency” pattern is increased visceral fat, decreased lean mass, and reduced training response. Under-supported axes drift toward this picture.
IGF-1 is the longer-acting messenger that mediates most of GH’s peripheral effects. Low IGF-1 (under ~150 ng/mL in adults) corroborates a low-GH picture; high values suggest your axis is working. Add it if you have a recent value.
Sermorelin is a growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) peptide. It signals your pituitary to release more of your own natural GH, preserving the pulsatile release pattern your body evolved to use.
This is fundamentally different from synthetic HGH, which replaces the hormone directly with sustained high levels. Sermorelin’s mechanism is upstream: it’s a signal, not a replacement. The risk profile is dramatically lower than HGH, and it’s not a controlled substance.
Sermorelin is $189/mo all-inclusive, physician consult, compounded medication, syringes, ongoing monitoring. Same protocol you’d build with a top longevity clinic, without the wait.
Explore OPTML Sermorelin →How this tool calculates
The GH optimization score is an educational tool that contextualizes a user-entered IGF-1 value against published adult age-stratified reference intervals (Bidlingmaier et al. JCEM 2014). It does not diagnose growth hormone deficiency, which requires provocative GH testing by a physician.
Peer-reviewed sources
Important. This tool is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The tool does not prescribe medication, recommend specific dosing, or substitute for clinical evaluation. Compounded medications referenced anywhere on this site are not FDA-approved; the FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness, or quality of compounded drugs. Treatment decisions are made only by a licensed U.S. physician after individual patient evaluation.