Growth Hormone Administration and Its Effects on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Growth Hormone Deficient Women

Inclusion Criteria: * GH deficiency due to pituitary or hypothalamic tumors or disease affecting this area. Subjects will have been treated with medication, surgery, radiation, or a combination of these. GH deficiency will be defined as a peak plasma GH of less than 5 ng/ml in response to insulin tolerance testing or growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) plus arginine stimulation test. In subjects with suspected hypothalamic dysfunction the arginine plus L-dopa stimulation test may be used, with a cutoff of 1.7 ng/ml for diagnosis of GH deficiency. Partial GH deficiency will be defined as a GH peak of 5 to 9 ng/ml (inclusive) during insulin tolerance testing or GHRH plus arginine testing. * GH deficiency will also be diagnosed if insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels are below 2 standard deviations for the age-sex normal range in a patient with at least two documented hormone deficiencies. * Subjects must have evidence of a stable pituitary mass (for at least 12 months) if there is a history of a tumor except in the case of ACTH-producing microadenomas, where no follow-up imaging is required after cure. * Subjects age 40 and over must have a screening mammogram if they have not already had one within one year prior to their baseline visit Exclusion Criteria: * Active Cushing's disease within 1 year * History of acromegaly * Untreated thyroid or adrenal insufficiency. Subjects on replacement therapy must be stable for at least 3 months prior to entry into the study. * History of malignancy except for skin cancer and except for childhood solid malignancy with documented cure for \> 10 years prior to starting the study * Hemoglobin \<10.0 gm/dl * Hepatic or renal disease (SGPT/SGOT \> 3x upper limit of normal (ULN) or creatinine levels \>2.5 mg/dl) * Congestive heart failure (CHF) (New York Heart Association's classification system Class II-IV CHF will be excluded) * History of unstable cardiovascular disease (coronary artery or cerebrovascular disease) or symptoms within one year prior to entry into the study * Diabetes mellitus * Pregnancy or nursing * Active carpal tunnel syndrome