Height and Shoe Size

[Valerie Elizabeth]

So, I have reading through a lot of posts.  I got to page like 18.  I read some stuff about people mentioning that they got a little bit shorter and some people also had a decrease in their shoe size?  I'm not expecting any, but is it common to lose any height or shoe size, or is it pretty rare?

I am 22 if that helps.

[Ellieka]

Hi  Veronica,

Your height and foot size may change by a small amount due to the hormones changing your body fat distribution but I think its safe to say any changes in height  will be hardly noticeable unless you have really fat feet. I was 5'4" before HRT and I'm still 5'4"

Foot size, on the other hand, very well could change quite a lot. I went form a size 10 1/2 to 11 womens to 9 1/2 to 10 after 6 months on HRT.

Hope this helps ya some.

[Valerie Elizabeth]

That's kind of what I figured.

I'm 5'9 now, and don't expect to get any shorter.  My shoe size is a 9 1/2 to 10 woman's now, and I don't expect it to get much smaller.

although, if I could get down to like an 8 1/2 to 9 for a shoe size, that would be awesome!

[Ellieka]

Have you started HRT yet? If so how long have you been on them? I took me 6 months before I noticed and differences at all. If your a 9 1/2-10 now you just might get down to a 8 1/2-9
I wish I could. it starts getting harder to find cute shoes in sizes larger the 9 1/2. Around here anyway.

[Valerie Elizabeth]

I haven't started yet.  Next couple weeks.  Depends if I get them prescribed on the first or second endo visit.

[Ellieka]

Awesome! good luck.

[Valerie Elizabeth]

Thanks!  I'm hoping he will prescribe on the first appointment, but I'm not going to be super optimistic.

[shanetastic]

I haven't changed at all height or shoe size. I'm considered pretty skinny for my height so maybe that is a contributor to the decrease. But anyways one of those ymmv type of deal

[Padma]

Hmm... after 3 months of better hormone doses, my feet are now narrower. Shoes that I stopped wearing a few months ago because they were too tight now fit. I'm surprised - but pleased on the shoe front .

[Alainaluvsu]

I was 5'5.75", size 10.5 (womens) pre-hrt.

Somehow I've gone to 5'4.25", size 8 (womens) after 7 months.

[starbright]

^Wow, that is crazy that you have seen that dramatic of reductions after only 7 months, almost 2 inches in height is quite a bit. I have been on HRT for about 6 months now and have not seen an decrease yet. Mind you, I still don't think my T levels have been lowered even close to the normal female range, we are still working on that part of my HRT regimine. My feet have stayed the same too.

Ps, ^^What is your age, I am just curious. I am 25 years old and have not seen many changes, but I believe a lot of it has to do with my high T levels still.
Are you taking just estradiol and Spiro?

[Rory]

I hadn't heard about changes like that from HRT. It can make that dramatic a difference? I'm about 5'10" right now and a women's 8 1/2. I'm not on HRT yet, but I hadn't expected for those to change.

[peky]

I went form 5 11 3/4 to 5 10 1/2; feet have not change

[Alainaluvsu]

^Wow, that is crazy that you have seen that dramatic of reductions after only 7 months, almost 2 inches in height is quite a bit. I have been on HRT for about 6 months now and have not seen an decrease yet. Mind you, I still don't think my T levels have been lowered even close to the normal female range, we are still working on that part of my HRT regimine. My feet have stayed the same too.

Ps, ^^What is your age, I am just curious. I am 25 years old and have not seen many changes, but I believe a lot of it has to do with my high T levels still.
Are you taking just estradiol and Spiro?

Im 29. Im taking estradiol, spiro, and finasteride. My testosterone levels are very well suppressed and on valentines day my estrpgen levels were comparable to a pregnant woman in the first trimester.

[rachl]

Wow, if this true about shoe size, then that's a massive plus I'll be looking forward to! Right now I'm between 11 and 11.5, and finding sandals that fit is a nightmare.

[Maja.V]

It depends on each individual, I'd think. My feet shrunk slightly, though I've lost an inch and some of my height.

[Beverley]

I have gone from size 10 shoes to size 8. In ankle boots size 9 seems to be a better fit so 8.5 to 9 overall. Personally I blamed the 3 stones weight loss I had but others seem to have had it with little of no weight loss so maybe it was the hormonal changes after all...

B.

[Jamie D]

There are only two ways that you can lose height while on hrt

1. increased curvature of the spine
2. compression of the spinal discs

Your comfortable shoe size can narrow with weight loss, and perhaps decreased swelling, but your bones simply do not shrink.

Older people can also lose a little bone mass from osteoporosis - not a good thing!

[Kelly J. P.]

I was a guy's size 8, shoewise. Nowadays, sixteen months of hormones later, I wear women's size 7.5 - although I have squeezed into a 6 before (a pair of 3" heels :p).

I haven't measured my height, but I'm not entirely sure that I would want to be any shorter...

[A]

There are only two ways that you can lose height while on hrt

1. increased curvature of the spine
2. compression of the spinal discs

Your comfortable shoe size can narrow with weight loss, and perhaps decreased swelling, but your bones simply do not shrink.

Older people can also lose a little bone mass from osteoporosis - not a good thing!

Actually, I'm not a doctor, but I can think of a few other ways for height to be slightly affected. I don't know if they actually happen, but I don't see how they are impossible.

-Less muscle/thick skin/etc. (meat in short) in the foot, making it narrower vertically, lowering height.
-Slight reconfiguration of the shape of the foot, making the heel stand out a little less as it would "enter" into the ankle more.
-More lax joints from the muscle mass reduction, resulting in less space between bones and/or slight bone overlap when standing. You know, how some people's knees bent backwards to some degree. I believe that kind of flexibility is partly helped by HRT.
-Slight inverted growth before bones are completed at ~25. It has been officially noted in teenagers, I think, so maybe it can happen to a lesserd extent in young adults.
-Even if the hip bone itself does not change much (if at all), maybe muscles and ligaments on HRT will somewhat react as though they were in the presence of larger hips, with the femurs taking a slightly triangular angle, meeting the hip bone farther outside. The angle created would reduce height slightly.

All of these are very hypothetical, but right now, at midnight, exhausted and without much medical knowledge, they seem possible.

Also, I think it's natural to lose a little bit of height due to the spine angle change that is said to commonly happen ( men's hips tend to be upright/slightly bent forwards, whilst women's are supposed to be bent backwards by a more significant amount. The spine would curve, following the movement, I guess, resulting in a more prominent butt/hollow back and a little less height.