This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on the provided comments, the account appears authentic.
There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or an inauthentic user. The comments display a consistent, personal narrative with specific, plausible medical and emotional details (e.g., specific duration on Testogel, BPD diagnosis, physical symptoms like atrophy and migraines) that align with a genuine detransitioner's experience. The emotional tone, from relief to insecurity, is consistent with the passion and difficulty described in the prompt.
About me
I was born female and began identifying as a man in my early twenties, hoping it would fix my deep insecurities. I took testosterone for over a year, but it wrecked my mental health and gave me severe migraines and high blood pressure. I stopped because the physical and emotional toll was too great, though I’m left with permanent changes like body hair and a receded hairline. Coming to terms with my detransition has been hard, but I find comfort in knowing I am, and always will be, a woman. I’m now slowly learning to make peace with my body and move forward.
My detransition story
My name is [redacted], and this is my story of transitioning and detransitioning. I was born female and I started identifying as a man in my early twenties. Looking back, I think a lot of my desire to transition came from a place of low self-esteem and discomfort with my body, especially during puberty. I hated my breasts and just wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin. I thought becoming a man was the answer.
I started taking testosterone, specifically Testogel, and I was on it for about a year and four months. Almost immediately, my mental health took a serious dive. I have borderline personality disorder, and the hormones completely destabilized me. My emotions were all over the place. Physically, it was really hard on my body too. I developed high blood pressure and started getting these awful, nearly daily migraines that were absolutely debilitating. They were so bad I could barely function. My voice changed, which was something I wanted, but the process was rough. It was really strained for a while, with terrible voice cracks and it sounded raspy and hoarse. I found that drinking something hot like lemon tea helped relax my throat muscles a bit.
I also experienced vaginal atrophy, which I’ve since had to get topical treatment for. It’s been a slow process healing from all of this. I stopped taking testosterone because the toll on my body and mind was just too much. Since I’ve stopped, the constant migraines have gotten much better. I still get them for about two days when I’m on my period, but it’s nothing like before.
Coming to terms with detransitioning has been its own challenge. I used to have an okay level of self-esteem before all of this. I had insecurities, sure, but I still had good days where I felt pretty. Now, I definitely feel a lot more insecure about my body. The testosterone caused a lot of changes that don’t just go away. I have a lot more hair everywhere, I’ve had stubborn weight gain, and my hairline receded. I have a lot of bad days where it’s hard to look in the mirror.
But I’m slowly learning to make peace with how I look. I find comfort in knowing that no matter how I look, or how my voice sounds, or how my body has changed because of the hormones, I am biologically still a woman. I always will be, and that’s something that can never be taken from me.
Telling people I was detransitioning was scary. I remember finally telling one of my friends and being so worked up about it, but he was totally fine. He said he was proud of me for opening up and started referring to me as a woman right away. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
I don’t think I truly understood what gender meant when I started all of this. I think I was trying to escape from being me. I have regrets about the physical damage I caused to my body and the mental health crisis I went through because of the hormones. But I don't regret the journey because it ultimately brought me back to myself. I’m trying to move forward now, one day at a time.
| Age | Date (if known) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Early 20s | Started identifying as a man and began social transition. | |
| Started taking Testogel (testosterone). | ||
| Developed high blood pressure, severe migraines, and mental health destabilization. | ||
| After 1 year 4 months | Stopped taking testosterone. | |
| Diagnosed with vaginal atrophy and began topical treatment. | ||
| Early 2023 | Told friends about detransition and began living as a woman again. | |
| Blood pressure began to reduce; migraines became less frequent. |
Top Comments by /u/Kitchen-Beautiful-62:
Hi everyone, thank you all so much for the advice, I finally told him and he was totally fine about it! He said he was proud of me for opening up and has started referring to me as a woman straight away, I don't know what I was getting so worked up about haha :') I definitely feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me and I'm feeling much more ready to face the next chapters of my life journey now
I was on testogel for around 1 year 4 months in total. I ended up with high blood pressure that has only recently started to reduce, a complete destabilisation of my mental health (I have borderline personality disorder), nearly daily severe migraines, and I have recently been diagnosed with atrophy and am on topical treatment for it. I'm slowly starting to heal, but testosterone really took a toll on my body and mind.
I still get migraines for around 2 days a month when I'm on my period, but I used to get them almost every day when I was on T and it was absolutely debilitating. I feel like there's definitely a link between taking T and having headaches, a few people I know who've stopped taking T have said similar things.
I used to have an okay enough level of self esteem before I transitioned, I definitely had some insecurities to do with my body and general self but I still had days I could look in the mirror and go "I look pretty good today!" Since detransitioning I definitely feel a lot more insecure about my body specifically, especially how much more hair I have everywhere, stubborn weight gain, and my receded hairline. I'm slowly learning to make peace with how I look wherever I can, but there's still many bad days for sure. I try and find comfort in the fact that no matter how I look, or sound, or how I have changed as a direct result of hormones, I am biologically still a woman, I always will be, and that isn't something that can be taken from me.
My voice was really strained for a little bit, with awful voice cracks every other sentence and just sounding really raspy and hoarse. It takes time for your brain and vocal cords to get used to being used in different ways, but it will feel more natural as you keep practising. I'm not sure if this works for everyone but I've found drinking a hot drink like a lemon tea helps to relax the muscles in my throat and makes it a bit easier to have flexibility in my vocal range. Keep persevering and practice good vocal hygiene, you'll get there.