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Ok, so I have not been overly tall at all during my life I've always been relatively small, (or normal within a female range of height) Before I was on hormones, I was 5 foot 9 inches, now, 3 months 3 weeks into hormones, I am now 5 foot, 7 inches.

I have lost 2 inches in size! Woah! Oh and I think I am noticing other skeletal changes, but I might be delusional or something.

I am 21 years old. ^_^ Started HRT, about a week and a half after my 21st birthday.

Has anyone experienced any changes to their height, or other skeletal factors ?

~Sarah

Woah, that's cool, good for you! ^^ I didn't know HRT could make you shorter--doesn't sound right, actually. Are you sure that's right?

I haven't started it yet (although I may soon) and I wonder if I'll experience something similar? I don't have a problem with my height though, I'm only a little over 5'4" and 110 lbs. I've always been really small--I'm definitely lucky. :P

If you have lost 2" in just under 3 months, I would recommend seeing a doctor and getting a checkup.

While I have heard of some people saying they have shrunk, I doubt it would happen in this short of a period.

I shrunk 1/2 inch, but thats from age. my sister shrunk 5", but that was from a spinal issue.

Remeasure yourself.

I shrink inches or grow inches too... depending on who's measuring me.

I read that height also varies depending on when in the day you measure......the cartilage rings expand when we are lying down asleep and then gradually get compressed again whilst upright during the day.

I was 6 foot and am now a half inch shorter.... but I'm 56 so it's probably age, but happened in my first year on hormones.
My feet are definitely a size smaller too, though that's apparently common and due to the loss of male muscle.

Bones do not shrink.

in the last 8 months of HRT I have shrunk an inch

I lost a few inches, It seems really common in younger MtF's  anyone that starts before the age of 25.

I was alittle over 6ft 1in when I first started hrt, I'm now just under 5ft 11in.

I would be worried if I lost 2 inches in 3 months. It took almost almost 2 years of HRT and I went from nearly 5'9" to 5'6" which was measured by my doctor a few months ago. It was a gradual process, and I don't think ill be losing anymore height.

If I am remembering correctly, HRT can cause bone shape to change slightly over time, and since it is during puberty that the ends of bones finish closing off before you stop growing altogether, I suppose it does make sense that before the age of 25 some shrinkage is possible before bones are finished developing. Makes me really wish I had known all this about myself a lot earlier!

I'm 30 something and was 6 ft now 5-10, one shoe size smaller too, and that all happened in the first 6 months of HRT.

My understanding is that it isn't the bones changing but the ligaments loosening and your pelvis shifting that causes the shrinkage.  It is also normal to lose 1/4" to 1/2" by compressing the discs in your spine, etc. throughout the day.

I have shrunk maybe 1/2" since starting HRT which isn't helping much when I'm 6'2".  I'm trying not to get too jealous reading this thread =)

I was thinking oh you gals are crazy, HRT won't make you shrink... I measured myself (well I actually bugged my mom to measure me >_>) and I'm 5'10 and I use to be 5'11 :o, it's later in the day so maybe it's the spine thing mentioned. I'm 20 and have been on HRT for close to 4 months now... I actually like my height, hope I don't get smaller. I don't think things like the ribcage can get smaller anyways, so I'd rather stay as proportionate as possible :P

well i'm a bit older @ 40 (but SWEAR I look 28  :P), have been doing HRT since August of 09 and I too have shrunk a tad, although in different areas, namely my feet. Had been a men's 11 and could barely squeeze into a women's size 10; nowadays though, a size 11 in men's is way too big, and a 10 woman's is a very loose. was not expecting that at all! so i do think there is something to what you are experiencing! exciting, ain't it?  >:-)   

Congrats!  But I also echo the spine thing, because if you're measure later in the day you are generally about an inch shorter than you are in the morning due to compression.  I fluctuate between 5'9.5" and 5'10.5" during the day.  You might also want to get checked to make sure nothing else is going on.

But, if it's all good, congrats!

My loss of measurement was confirmed medically...

The first time I was sent to the EPPC (el paso  psychiatric center) I looked pretty rough and measured in at 6' 1 1/2" and looked like I was in my early 30's

7 years later I went back, being processed through was a serious pain because I no longer matched any of the records they had of me... I had to be fingerprinted to verify my identity because they didn't believe I was me. I looked like I was in my late teens or early 20's and measured in at 5' 10 1/2"  I was actually pretty happy about that :) I had only been on HRT for a about 7 months, and had stopped a few months before being admitted.  So the shrinking did happen, It happened in that short time frame.

I still measure in at that height every time I get measured so *shrugs* either everyone was off by 3in before I turned 24 or its something that really happened.

Note: I think its a combination of ligaments, muscles, and slight bone change. I don't have nearly as many back problems as I did when I was younger.

It is interesting to read about people possibly "shrinking" from HRT. It keeps amazing me what the treatment can do to individuals physically.

I'm about 5 ft 4 inches tall and my height hasn't changed at all during my hormone treatment. Not that it would need to since I'm quite petite already.  :)

I think it's mostly spine curvature and muscle loss.

That is so cool, I would have never expected that. I'm under six feet by a few inches but wouldn't mind losing an inch or two more

I haven't actually measured myself since starting HRT. I was just under 5' 11", but I suppose it's possible that I have lost an inch at least. I will have to measure myself in the AM and see where I stand .... pun intended.

~April

Ooh, this is quite encouraging. I'm only 5'9" at best, so hopefully I drop a bit lower over time. Yay!

Ok I'm absolutely sure I used to be just a little over 5' 10" but I've measured myself several times now and keep getting about 5' 9"

Maybe there IS something about HRT that causes changes, I dunno. =]

I was abit incredulous about this claim but it's apparently happened to me too :/

at my last physical I was measured to be 5'8-5'9tall Now I'm 5'6-5'7
But I'm still the tallest out of my female friends are all my female friends dwarfs? O_o

My DR isn't concerned about it, but none the less, I have started HRT at age 21, and there have been changes to my body in what appears to be changes primarily to my hips and floating ribs. It almost looks like my floating ribs have shrunk a little bit, and well, I started HRT with hips, and they are now a good 40 inches, so I am actually developing a figure, and hopefully I will have a summer body come Christmas.

I'm not sure if these changes have occurred to my bones, or if it is just distribution but hey, I don't really care, so long as I have a summer body soon, I am now living 10 minutes walk to the surf beach so YAY!!! Hot surfers to flirt with! :D

My measurements are;
43inch shoulders, 40 inch hips and 32 inch waist.
I have a bit of puppy fat just below my waist, and well, I am going to start Zumba in the next week or so, so we'll see my body tone up like mad :)

Zumba?

Just turned 26, pre hrt and jealous.

Wish I had a summer body.

Yah be careful. Us losing height is usually a bone problem...we are now more likely to get osteoporosis now.

 There is an untested theory that as the estrogen shifts muscles into fat then logically the cartilage will shrink a little too and as the muscles will not be holding things quite so firmly then lots of tiny shrinkages will all add up to the 1-3 inch loss that is very common among MtFs.
We need to get the FtMs to check their heights regularly but then most FtMs on Susans seem to be very young and probably have some natural growth to do anyway so it may be hard to show any height increase from T.

I am a lot younger than you, Sarahm, but I can't list my age due to Susans.org policies. I plan to start puberty blocker as soon as I get home, so hormones before the year is out! YEAH! Right now I am 5'7.7. I hope I shrink a couple of inches! I would love it! I COULD live without getting shorter, if it mean't my feet would lose being so wide and get a little smaller!

Gosh... If I lost 2 inches in height, would be totally amazing. Congrats on it, hoping it is directly related to the hrt and you are doing well :) :)

I have age onset degenerative scoliosis so I watch my height like a hawk. I used to be 6' 1" when I was younger (am 49 now) but lost about 2 inches because of my medical condition between 2005 and 2010. Seven months on HRT and I lost another full inch to 5'10+". I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't kept such accurate records for myself.

just measured myself and gone from 5'7 to 5'5 over 6 years of HRT