shrinking

[sandrauk]

I was reading this thread thinking no way. But then I realised that my shoes were a bit loose. I've been meaning to get a new pair for ages so went to my local shoe shop and I have gone from an UK eight to a seven.
I've always worn an eight since for ever, sometimes struggling to get in those so they've definitely shrunk and that's five weeks HRT! 

[Nicolette]

If I look at it as testosterone causing the fleshy part of the feet to swell and expand, then the absence of this hormone causing a reversal of this makes more sense. Therefore, F2M may have a reverse experience.

[Alainaluvsu]

Hypogonadism also causes height loss, which. I'm sure most of us have hypogonadism to some degree

[Rita]

Hypogonadism also causes height loss, which. I'm sure most of us have hypogonadism to some degree

I never found a disorder to be so sexy

[Alainaluvsu]

I never found a disorder to be so sexy

And helpful!!!

[Rita]

I may of had a similar condition, the doctor said I was probably going to grow up as a midget.

Lucky for me that didn't happen, but I still only reached 5'6.

[ThatTallGirl]

Reading this as a 6'6" giant with size 12.5 M feet makes me feel there is hope in this world for me after all. I know YMMV, but from the power of deduction, it seems that people that lost muscle mass and weight had better results. My legs and feet have always been VERY muscular... Like, I can stand on my toes whilst having 400-500 lbs on my back (Why I did this in GYM class, I will never know.) Maybe, after all, my monkey-hand feet will have a fighting chance!

Hoping that I am one of the lucky ones that has some results in this aspect! Thank you!

[Carol2000]

When I transitioned in 1982, my feet were UK size 8.5 which made getting shoes very difficult and I very often had to resort to forcing my feet into size 8 (if I could get them). Back then most women's shoes in the shops only went up to size 7. Then, about 15 years ago I realised I was getting into size 7 with no problem.

Now my shoes are mainly size 7 with few sized 6.5 and my feet are looking very small compared to how they were. Now whether it's shrinkage due to hormones, or the fact that I was having to wear shoes which were too tight, who can tell. All I know is I am very happy being able to go into any shop and try on shoes off the shelf.

Before you ask, no, my feet are not deformed as a result.

Caroline

[Dahlia]

Are your hands miraculously  shrinking too?

Sorry to spoil your 'shrinking feet' happiness but feet grow wider/larger with age.

Because you're walking and standing on them which makes your feet spread etc.

Most middle aged ciswomen and men wear at least one shoesize larger after the age of approx 20.

[Ave]

Are your hands miraculously  shrinking too?

Sorry to spoil your 'shrinking feet' happiness but feet grow wider/larger with age.

Because you're walking and standing on them which makes your feet spread etc.

Most middle aged ciswomen and men wear at least one shoesize larger after the age of approx 20.

I think what's happening is people sort of letting go of the rule of measuring up (as guys do). I used to briefly work at payless and you won't believe how many guys who I help try out for size 8 feet  (or less) who walk out the door with 10's and 11's. And height is another matter altogether, many men lie about their height or overestimate it *shrugs*.

I've seen women do the upset too, coming in with size  8 feet and stuffing their feet into shoes that are too small. I mean, what's the point? I would want to be comfortable in my shoes.

[8888]

I swear the moment I stopped taking E in pill form my shoulders got broader. I even have pictures to track progress and they looked much smaller before, but it's something you just can't keep track of properly because there is no accurate way to measure and it's possibly psychological but feels very real.

[Dahlia]

I swear the moment I stopped taking E in pill form my shoulders got broader. I even have pictures to track progress and they looked much smaller before, but it's something you just can't keep track of properly because there is no accurate way to measure and it's possibly psychological but feels very real.

The human body changes shape every 7 years or so....mtf bodies change too, post op or not.

The sad news is, is that the shoulders will grow broader with age/fat redustribution whether a mtf is on E or not, post op or not, muscle shrinkage or not.

[Nicolette]

I'm a bit of an arch-skeptic in regard to shrinking (and just about everything else. You're all a figment of my imagination..) and take anecdotal evidence with a pinch of salt. It's possible much of this 'shrinkage' is due to the placebo effect or wishful measuring.

Clavicle bones don't shrink and expand due to hormones levels. But it's possible that the deltoids have picked up a little extra muscle mass. But if this occurred instantly after stopping E then this is most likely down to a change of perception of your body. Like an anorexic viewing themselves as fat.

[sandrauk]

Are your hands miraculously  shrinking too?

Sorry to spoil your 'shrinking feet' happiness but feet grow wider/larger with age.

Because you're walking and standing on them which makes your feet spread etc.

Most middle aged ciswomen and men wear at least one shoesize larger after the age of approx 20.

I won't comment on the hands because I have nothing to measure them against.

However, I have been wearing a size 8 for 45 years, so I think I know my size.

They have got no larger or smaller in that time.

When I bought new shoes I would have to try on all the  styles in 8 to find one that didn't pinch.

Suddenly I'm a 7. I tried many 7's on in the shop because I didn't believe it either but they all fitted comfortably.

I have a lot of women's shoes in 8. The boots always fitted nice but all the rest stayed as fantasy shoes because although I could force them on  they pinched like  crap. All are now comfortable.

As to height I won't comment, although I know I've always been the same height until recently as when I got my RAF id card at 16 and I'm 50% sure I've lost an inch I think there's a possibility of error. 

Of course you won't believe it until it happens to you. I wonder if the loss could be a test for whether the HRT is working.

[Nicolette]

Of course you won't believe it until it happens to you. I wonder if the loss could be a test for whether the HRT is working.

I may have shrunk in height by 1/4" in 20 years. A number of years before transition, I always tried to find the smallest and snuggest male shoe that would fit. Possibly, my feet already shrunk by the time I started HRT. I don't see more than negligible difference in foot size after taking HRT. Height is lost due to age. HRT definitely worked. I couldn't pass as male after 2 or 3 years of HRT.

Actual foot shrinkage could be due to a myriad number of possibilities. There are shrinking and growing feet on non-TG forums.

[A]

Losing 3 inches of height in less than a year, both measured by the same doctor, is something that I've seen on this forum, without any reason to doubt it.

Buying shoes her size in the first months of HRT only to find out they're just way too large to wear at all after a few more months of HRT is something my girlfriend lived. They can't have stretched - they were in a drawer, waiting to be worn.

There are logical reasons for shrinkage to happen on HRT. Feet are a bit more tricky, but the most obvious one when it comes to height is the curvature of the spine and the angle of the hip bone that change.

[Ave]

Losing 3 inches of height in less than a year, both measured by the same doctor, is something that I've seen on this forum, without any reason to doubt it.

Buying shoes her size in the first months of HRT only to find out they're just way too large to wear at all after a few more months of HRT is something my girlfriend lived. They can't have stretched - they were in a drawer, waiting to be worn.

There are logical reasons for shrinkage to happen on HRT. Feet are a bit more tricky, but the most obvious one when it comes to height is the curvature of the spine and the angle of the hip bone that change.

I think it's possible for your height to decrease, I mean that happens with or without HRT, and HRT is actually a symptom of "low T".

feet though? ehhh a little iffy.

[A]

Well, it could be that muscle mass loss would reduce width. As for height, who knows, maybe for some reason the foot flattens (the bones would position themselves in a more flat pattern). For both of those, maybe skin and fat changes play a role too.

As for length... there's probably a better reason, but the only things I see now are that toe bones would grow farther apart, taking the room left by muscle, and making for a shorter foot because of the increased angle; also, I'm not sure why they would, but maybe the stuff in between each bone shrinks; finally, I noticed on a chart that there's a good centimetre in the big toe between the actual tip and the tip of the bone - maybe there's some room for explanation there.

And for patients in their 20s, there remains the seemingly improbable possibility of bones themselves shrinking, since they might not all have fused.

Really, it's hard to explain and it would take more of an expert than I, but with the number of reports, even if my hypotheses are entirely wrong, there just has to be some logical reason for it, and it's a true phenomenon I think we shouldn't deny. But seriously, considering how (especially) shaky my explanations are, I'd really like to know what the real reasons are.

[Ave]

Well, it could be that muscle mass loss would reduce width. As for height, who knows, maybe for some reason the foot flattens (the bones would position themselves in a more flat pattern). For both of those, maybe skin and fat changes play a role too.

As for length... there's probably a better reason, but the only things I see now are that toe bones would grow farther apart, taking the room left by muscle, and making for a shorter foot because of the increased angle; also, I'm not sure why they would, but maybe the stuff in between each bone shrinks; finally, I noticed on a chart that there's a good centimetre in the big toe between the actual tip and the tip of the bone - maybe there's some room for explanation there.

And for patients in their 20s, there remains the seemingly improbable possibility of bones themselves shrinking, since they might not all have fused.

Really, it's hard to explain and it would take more of an expert than I, but with the number of reports, even if my hypotheses are entirely wrong, there just has to be some logical reason for it, and it's a true phenomenon I think we shouldn't deny. But seriously, considering how (especially) shaky my explanations are, I'd really like to know what the real reasons are.

well, I wouldn't  discount wishful thinking. I think a serious study conducted by medical professionals and measuring by objective people would settle this once and for all :3

[A]

Yes, wishful thinking can probably explain a proportion of cases. But I've read too many cases of people who wouldn't have any interest in lying and had pretty objective proof, like my girlfriend's fitting shoes that became way too big after a while in a drawer. I think Padma had a story like that, too.

As for a scientific study... Yeah, of course, it would, but I doubt it'll happen anytime soon. I mean, studies on transsexualism itself and its causes aren't many, so studying the size of feet in transsexuals sounds pretty far. It might eventually happen in a global study to determine exactly what HRT does in transsexuals, measuring all sorts of things in the body, but that sounds far away, and uncertain. ^^'