This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on these comments, the account appears authentic. The user discusses specific, personal physical and emotional experiences of detransitioning (voice strain, counseling, art) with nuanced detail and emotional resonance. There are no red flags suggesting it's a bot or inauthentic.
About me
I'm a female who started taking testosterone as a teenager after my counselor only affirmed my feelings instead of helping me explore them. I thought becoming male would fix my deep discomfort with my body, but I now see it was tied to depression and low self-esteem. I stopped hormones early, which left my voice permanently strained and causes me physical pain to speak. I regret transitioning because it was a physical attempt to solve a psychological problem. I'm now trying to heal and find self-acceptance as the woman I am.
My detransition story
My name isn't important, but my story is. I’m a female who transitioned and then detransitioned, and I want to share my experience in my own words.
My journey started when I was a teenager. I saw a counselor for gender dysphoria when I was 17, but it wasn't the kind of therapy where I learned to understand myself. It was only about affirming that I was a boy. I wish he had been more honest with me and helped me explore my feelings instead of just agreeing with me. It’s hard to get on testosterone where I live, but I was eventually referred to a clinic and I started taking it.
I really hated my breasts and wanted a deep voice. I thought becoming male would fix the deep discomfort I felt with my body, especially during and after puberty. I now see that a lot of my feelings were tied to other issues I had, like depression, anxiety, and very low self-esteem. I think I was also influenced by what I saw online. Transitioning felt like a way to escape from myself.
I took testosterone for a while, but I stopped early. Because of that, my voice is now in a weird, grey area; it didn't deepen fully. This has caused me a lot of problems. My vocal cords are badly strained. A lot of people think I'm whispering or mumbling, but I'm not. I'm just strained and I don't want to risk talking too much for the rest of the day. Sometimes it's the opposite: I have to talk from my chest in a loud voice because speaking in a higher, more natural pitch puts too much strain on my cords. It can even give me flu-like symptoms if I use my voice too much. It’s frustrating because I know that people who transition are taught to relearn how to speak, but it sucks when you're no longer aiming for that deep voice and trying to talk normally again can hurt.
I’ve mostly tried to deal with this with home remedies, like nasal rinses, which help a little bit but aren't a permanent solution. I know I probably need to see a professional to really deal with it.
Through all of this, I’ve been trying to find ways to express myself and heal. I'm an artist, and I've been thinking about making art about my detransition experience. I think a good theme would be discomfort—making the piece visually uncomfortable to show how hard it is to deal with detransitioning and finding self-acceptance.
Looking back, my thoughts on gender have changed completely. I don't believe that changing my body was the right solution for me. I regret transitioning because of the permanent changes, like my voice, and because I see now that I was trying to solve deeper psychological problems with a physical change. I benefited from stopping hormones and stepping away from affirming care, as it allowed me to finally start dealing with my real issues.
Here is a timeline of my journey:
| Age | Event |
|---|---|
| 17 | Saw a gender-affirming counselor and was referred to a clinic. Started taking testosterone. |
| 18 | Stopped testosterone early, leading to an incomplete voice change. |
| 19 | Began dealing with the permanent vocal strain and health complications from hormone use. |
Top Comments by /u/Financial-Divide-969:
I did see a counselor for gender dysphoria before being reffered to a clinic at 17. Its hard to get on T here. But it wasn't really therapy or learning to understand myself more, but more so affirming my gender. I just wish he was a bit more honest with me.
Want to add that its not just yelling/talking from my chest. But even just normally for as much as I used to talk. Or sometimes even whispering, but that is probably because I'm talking from my throat rather than my chest.
It might also be because I'm in that grey area where my voice hasn't deepened fully because of how early I went off hrt. Idk just rummaging
Ooo yes. I'm an artist and love this sort of thing. Have actually been thinking about making detransition art. Although wouldn't want to make it too explicit as it may bring in an unwanted audience.
That sounds like a good idea. Maybe think of what resonates with the you today? Or add new aspect to this idea. Detransitioning and finding self acceptance is almost always extremely hard to deal with. An interesting theme could be discomfort. Even making the piece visually uncomfortable could add more depth to it if you wanted.
That's what I'd likely go for, but mostly just what resonates with you and your experience.
Damn, I get the flu-like symptoms as well If I use my voice too much :( I'm really sorry you have to go through with that, that's totally not okay.
I've mostly just been using home remedies which aren't permanent of course or make the symptoms disappear. Sometimes a nasal rinse helps just a little bit though.
Seems like seeing a professional is the best way to deal with this.
The soft spoken part is so true. A lot of people think I'm whispering/mumbling but no it's just my vocal cords are badly strained I don't wanna risk talking much for the rest of the day. And sometimes it's the opposite, like I have to talk from my chest in a loud voice otherwise speaking in a high-pitched tone puts too much strain on my vocal cords.
I know ftm need to relearn how to speak properly, it just sucks when you are no longer aiming for that deep voice and trying to talk normally again can sometimes hurt :(