Okay, so this is strange, I've been thinking it for a few months, but yesterday it was kind of confirmed...

Here are the facts:

- I was 1.69m tall before starting HRT, according to the endo.
- One of my best friends, if not the best... Was 1.72 at the time, she's cis...
- Every so often I seem to find myself feeling somewhat taller....
- Went to the docs after getting rather ill a couple weeks ago.. I'm apparently 1.72...
- My friend says she feels shorter around me lately yesterday, we compare ourselves... I'm noticeably taller by a nail more or less..

....

I heard of peeps getting shorter with HRT... Not taller.... I felt insecure for being among the tallest of my friends, so hardly ever wore heels... Now I see myself turning into some kinda giant...


Is this unheard of? Or has it happened before? Any advice?

Thank you so much, I'm so worried....



PS: I've also noticed, I've seemed to have grown a shoe size too, and I'm losing a lot of hair faster than before too...
Could this be E turning into T? I've heard of this happening to people....

I've never heard of that before tbh. If at all it usually ever so slightly reduces. Maybe you are just more confident and carrying yourself a little better? I wouldn't worry about it and 1.7 is not particularly tall.

It could be that you just had a different posture while measuring. That is by far the most likely reason.

On the other hand, if this is really happening it could mean serious complications. So go to your endocrinologist very soon to discuss it and do tests. It could be due to serious pituitary or thyroid problems. So it is really important to check everything, and do the proper tests.

How old are you?

Quote from: KarinMcD on March 13, 2015, 12:19:43 PM
How old are you?

She's 26. Still could be a growth spurt though. or a posture change. or someone not measuring right at some point. I'm assuming she was barefoot both times, but she hasn't stated for sure.

Delay of growth plate fusion until the age 26 is extremly rare. So having the last normal growth spurt at that age is almost impossible. Any growth spurt after age 22/23 usually means something abnormal is happening, and should be taken seriously.

30mm height difference isn't a big deal.. height fluctuates throughout the day. Unless you were measured exactly the same way, by different doctors, at the same time of the day, by a robot measuring machine with lasers for eyeballs, I'd put this down to measurement error.

Also, E doesn't turn into T. It's the other way around. It's how males get the necessary little bit of E for their body function. It's made from T which is made from P which is made from cholesterol in 2 steps.

I'd say it's posture, I know mine has changed since I've been on HRT. Are you doing a sport, or yoga? I found I got "taller" when I started doing yoga a few years back because I was standing straighter.

Thank you so much for all of your replies 🙂

You could be right about the confidence and posture, I have honestly gotten a huge weight off my back as of late and have been feeling rather great, a few close friends say it's rather noticeable, but, still... I always use the same pose when I get measured or compare heights, back straight and chin up... Oh and yep, I do measure myself without shoes.. Not necessarily barefoot but my socks are always quite thin.

I'll book an appointment with my GP just in case, better safe than sorry..


Oh and yup ImagineKate, I heard that one of the dangers of self medicating (I have everything by prescription, just saying how I know of the ocurence..) that above certain levels the body can turn E into T, or something like that, I really do not know the technicalities.. But I have heard of the after effects and they werent pretty...  Then again maybe they where lying to me all along, who knows....

Maybe feeling more confident has changed your posture Makes me think I should keep better track of my changes....

Quote from: bluebirdx88 on March 13, 2015, 04:46:25 PM

Oh and yup ImagineKate, I heard that one of the dangers of self medicating (I have everything by prescription, just saying how I know of the ocurence..) that above certain levels the body can turn E into T, or something like that, I really do not know the technicalities.. But I have heard of the after effects and they werent pretty...  Then again maybe they where lying to me all along, who knows....

While I agree that self med is bad, that is simply an old wives tale. The science says quite the opposite. It's probably said to discourage MTFs from self medding. We may not care about getting DVT but we do care about getting more T than necessary.

Do you have spiro?


This isnt normal.

I was 5'10" until I started HRT. Now I have shrunk 2 inches. Shoes from both genders confuse the hell out of me, as I can fit into size 9, 9.5, or 10 in different shoes/heels/boots.

FWIW I  notice my posture is better since HRT and that fuels confidence which fuels posture... IMHO
I think I look slightly taller, however I am only around 1.63 (5'4" old scale I believe, hope my math still holds up  😉 )

L Katy  😘

Quote from: ImagineKate on March 13, 2015, 03:47:52 PM
Also, E doesn't turn into T. It's the other way around. It's how males get the necessary little bit of E for their body function. It's made from T which is made from P which is made from cholesterol in 2 steps.

This is how, those of us with AIS, have our bodies feminized before birth, and at puberty.

I think my height is about half an inch taller myself, and I am even older. That is very distressing as I already stood way above most women. I was hoping to maybe lose an inch with the HRT, but it was not meant to be. Still, though, I attribute it to overeating rather than the HRT, and my height fluctuates over a range of about an inch. I look at a specific part of my front door to know, and always pose a certain way there, so it cannot be due to improved posture. HRT does improve my posture, but that is a different matter. I also feel like I stand higher above my mother and sister, but mom says they are both shrinking! Sometimes I wonder.

Testosterone is kind of irrelevant here as it is HGH and not T that causes height growth. Estrogens cannot be converted to androgens, and taking E actually reduces T production. A low E level could be compounding the problem. Estradiol can suppress HGH, and I know my estradiol level is too low. (I am seeing the doctor in three days to obtain an increase.)

Its really not unheard of.
People have reported all kinds of growth in sizes, at different ages. Also even in different body parts like hands etc.


Well to measure correctly best imo would be to lean with the back against a solid surface like a doorframe, with heels back to the frame, and placing a book with the shorter side on the frame, perpendicular over the head and moving it downwards towards the head till it touches...
marking the spot of the book on the doorframe with something easy to be removed afterwards... and measuring...
for a better description there is a page on wikihow with pictures

oh and you might be an inch bigger in the morning than in the evening 🙂

Quote from: Laura_7 on March 15, 2015, 08:06:37 AM
oh and you might be an inch bigger in the morning than in the evening

Is that true even after the growth plates close? Does it mean that sleep increases height and that sleeping less would help? I wonder.

Quote from: Steph34 on March 15, 2015, 08:16:24 AM
Is that true even after the growth plates close? Does it mean that sleep increases height and that sleeping less would help? I wonder.

It has to do with tissue in the backbone, for example. There are like cushions in between bones.
Pressure throughout the day makes it shrink a bit. Its completely normal. Of course it varies from person to person.