Can HRT shrink your height and shoe size?

[ChristinaMarie]

I've read online that it can due to the cartilage and soft tissue shrinking, and girls even becoming as much as 3" shorter. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, how much did you lose? Is it a function of how much muscle/weight you have currently or is that not related? Thanks!

[Dianne S]

Everything I've been told and have read indicates that HRT will not make much difference to your height or bone structure.

[Frances]

I lost an inch in height.

[GabbiSophia]

you lose height with age as far as I know... if it make me lose a couple shoe sizes I would be thrilled but I believe I have read where it will not.

[mikiSJ]

I was 6'0" when I was in my 20s, now at 67 I am 5'10" before I started HRT. When my father passed at 95 he had lost nearly 5" during his lifetime.

When I weighed 212# 4 years ago, my girl's shoe size was 12 W/WW, now that I am at ~180#, my show size is mostly 11 M/C.

Height loss is mostly a function of age and shoe size is mostly a function of weight AND time of day.

(Note: Estrogen use will help with any age related bone loss you may incur. My MIL had every vertebrae cracked to some extend she had the ultimate Dowager's Hump [kyphosis]. That is something you do not want to live with!)

[dreamer_2.0]

Everything I've read/heard says HRT won't affect your height, hand or feet size. It would be nice though. Personally I'd like my nose to shrink but I don't think it works that way.

[LeaP]

I've lost 1.25 inches in height.

[sandra-leigh]

HRT might potentially weaken your muscles or change the distribution of tension in your body, which can lead to shrinkage.

[LeaP]

Don't know. All I know is that I lost about 1/4" to 1/2" from age and another 1.25" since starting HRT. I'm now 5'8.5".

[Kathryn Martin]

I went from 6'6" to 6'2" in the last three years and my shoe size went down one size and I went from wide to normal.

[JohnH]

I have lost 1.5 inches in height, but my shoe size is unchanged.

Johanna

[sandra-leigh]

I am finding it difficult to visualize out how shoe size could change much? Perhaps other people's feet are different than mine. The only place I have any "padding" on mine are the ball of my foot and along my arch, and not so much in those areas. The rest of my foot is just a minor thickness of skin over bone... the only way that comes to mind for those bones to shrink would be through osteoporosis ? The bones of my big toes are close enough to the surface that a lot of shoes wear out first where my big toes touch the inside of the shoes.

[ChristinaMarie]

Yea I honestly have no idea either. I can believe the soft tissue in between each disc in the spine for an inch or two of height, but an inch or two in your foot? Not sure how that happens but I hope it does!

[princessheather86]

I have heard of HRT shrinking feet, but not reducing height. I have no reason to doubt the source, (forum posts by TG women on other boards) but it's still anonymous info so I can't say for sure. I guess we all have to wait and see the results for ourselves.

[noeleena]

Hi.

Some seem to think so , the only three ways i know of is old age the detail in between the bone and cartlige shrinking and you do as iv done have wear and tear in the spin from over use syndrome in others word bloody hard yacker and your back spine ....wears away, or surgerys, as to meds changeing your height possible as to % it would be very little maybe 1/2 an in

all you can do is measure your self say every month iv done myself and at 5. 9 .1/4 in , has been the same for 46 years, im over 66 years of age, and meds have not changed my height as to feet it could be done by binding and has worked though the after effects years later are one can and some have been crippled for much of thier life, so thats a no no oh and by the way they many can not walk.

I forgot one, arthritis can do a lot of damage .

...noeleena...

[Shapeshiffter]

I have lost 2 inches in height and dropped 1/2 shoe size. I am also 60 now so it could be from age.

[Frances]

Princessheather,
Are the people on this site anonymous? The info is coming from people who have been on hormones for a long time and have had SRS. As a matter of fact, over my 8-year membership here, the discourse has been pretty consisitent. A lot of trans women lose some height, mainly due to muscle atrophy and spinal compression.

[Inna]

If one starts HRT of which one ingredient is a large dose of T blocker, then in time the muscle tissue will diminish. With loss of muscle tissue the girth of skeletal soft tissue will also diminish. However, if this individual eats high caloric meals and performs high impact exercise, such muscle tonality may not be sufficient to observe height loss.

For the best result Hrt needs be combined with low caloric diet and limited exercise if any!


A lot of trans women lose some height, mainly due to muscle atrophy and spinal compression.

this be True!

[CharleneT]

Over time, you can and *will* shrink. I've lost almost an inch in height. Will cross gender hormone therapy advance this, or help it along ?

No.

'orry about that, the changes you are seeing are from aging.

[Frances]

The height loss I experienced was over the course of the first two years of HRT in my early forties after having been the same height for all of my adult life. I was 5' 7'' and 3/4 and went down to 5' 6'' and 3/4. I don't think it was old age at 42.