Are shoes getting smaller? Or do feet keep growing as you get older?

[Dancingwithtearsinmyeyes]

I used to be a shoe size 4. After 2 kids I think my ligaments in my feet stretched, and went up to a size 5.

I haven't really worn shoes recently due to lockdown and working from home, I've been living in trainers and slippers. But I'm finding my usual 5 too tight, and have had to buy a 5.5!

Is this normal?

I thought it was just me! I was a 6 as a teenager/20s. A 6.5 in my 30s and now at 50 i am a 7!

@Justleaveitblankthen

No, absolutely the opposite. So much so, that I was convinced sizing had universally reduced to flatter us into buying them! Size 5 all my adult life, now a 4 is plenty. Disclaimer: I am also shrinking in height, so that could explain it 🤔

Oh I was just about to say that it feels like size 4 shoes have got bigger! When I was younger I was always a size 4, but now, despite being barefoot for the past 2 years I'm able to wear a size 3.

Hi there,
It doesn’t seem likely that you have this from your post but for anyone else reading this.
I just happened to see this and wanted to mention an illness called acromegaly. It is caused by excessive growth hormone produced in the pituitary gland.
Acromegaly can cause a wide range of symptoms, which tend to develop very slowly over time.
Early symptoms include:

• swollen hands and feet – you may notice a change in your ring or shoe size
• tiredness and difficulty sleeping, and sometimes sleep apnea.
• gradual changes in your facial features, such as your brow, lower jaw and nose getting larger, or your teeth becoming more widely spaced
• numbness and weakness in your hands, caused by a compressed nerve.
• periods becoming irregular
• fatigue
• aching joints

If you have these symptoms you want to see an endocrinologist and have your IGF1 levels checked. It’s probably not this. Acromegaly is a rare disease. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s worth checking if you have any concerns. The earlier it is caught the more likely it is to be curable!