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Reddit user /u/dwelleronburntland's Detransition Story

Detransitioned: 22
female
low self-esteem
took hormones
regrets transitioning
depression
influenced online
influenced by friends
serious health complications
now infertile
puberty discomfort
started as non-binary
anxiety
benefited from non-affirming therapy
This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
On Reddit, people often share their experiences across multiple comments or posts. To make this information more accessible, our AI gathers all of those scattered pieces into a single, easy-to-read summary and timeline. All system prompts are noted on the prompts page.

Sometimes AI can hallucinate or state things that are not true. But generally, the summarised stories are accurate reflections of the original comments by users.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious

Based on the provided comments, this account appears to be authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or an inauthentic detransitioner/desister.

The user provides highly specific, personal, and medically detailed accounts of their own experience with testosterone, detransition, and the physical and emotional aftermath. The language is nuanced, empathetic, and consistent over a multi-year period, reflecting a genuine personal journey. The advice given to others is practical, compassionate, and aligns with the complex realities of detransition. The passion and detail are consistent with a real person who has lived this experience.

About me

I started taking testosterone at 19, believing it was the answer to my unhappiness. After three years, I developed serious health problems and realized it wasn't solving my deeper issues. I stopped and went through a difficult withdrawal, and while my body changed back, some health damage is permanent. I've learned my initial discomfort was from depression, not from being the wrong sex. I'm a woman now, focusing on my life and hobbies instead of my gender.

My detransition story

My whole journey with transition and detransition was long and complicated. Looking back, I think a lot of my initial feelings of discomfort were tied to puberty and a general unhappiness with myself, rather than being a man trapped in a woman’s body. I never felt like I fit in, and when I discovered online communities talking about being transgender, it felt like an answer. It gave me a clear path to follow and a new identity to adopt. I think I was heavily influenced by what I saw online and by friends who were also exploring their gender.

I started by identifying as non-binary, but that quickly shifted to identifying as a trans man. I began taking testosterone when I was 19. I was on T for three years. The physical changes happened fast. My voice dropped, I grew facial and body hair, and my body shape changed. But I also started having health problems. I developed a heart arrhythmia that my cardiologist said was either caused or made worse by the testosterone. I also started having issues with my voice, where it would get painful and hoarse if I talked for too long.

After three years, I realized that transitioning wasn’t solving the deeper issues I had. I was still deeply unhappy. I decided to stop testosterone. I was on the gel, so I slowly tapered my dose over a few weeks before stopping completely. The physical withdrawal was rough. For about a month and a half, I was exhausted all the time. I slept constantly but never felt rested. I had no energy for even basic tasks. I also had increased anxiety and felt emotionally all over the place. It was like a bad depression, but without the sad feelings, just the physical drain.

My body started changing back after I stopped. My breasts were the biggest surprise. They got really sore and filled back out to their pre-T size within a few months. Then, they kept growing. They’ve gone through a couple of growth spurts and are now bigger than they ever were before I started T. It felt like going through another female puberty. My body hair has gotten a little softer and thinner, but it’s still there. My face and body look almost like they did before, except I have some broadness in my shoulders that wasn't there before.

My period came back within a month of stopping T, which was a good sign my natural hormones were working again. But some health issues have lingered. The heart palpitations have gotten a lot better over the two years I’ve been off T, but they haven’t gone away completely. The voice pain and hoarseness are still a problem. I also have issues with sweating and regulating my body temperature, sometimes getting hot flashes. Sexually, things feel different; orgasms are weaker and less enjoyable, and I developed worse vaginismus. I’m seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist for that, which is helping.

I don’t really think about gender much anymore. I see myself as a woman now, and I’m mostly comfortable with that. I don’t believe that men and women have fundamentally different brains; I think that’s a myth used to justify stereotypes. My main regret is the permanent health complications. The heart issue and the voice problems are things I’ll probably have to manage for the rest of my life. I wish I had dealt with my underlying depression and low self-esteem instead of thinking changing my body was the answer. Therapy was a huge help for me during my detransition, because it gave me a non-judgmental space to figure things out without anyone pushing me in one direction.

What helped me the most was learning to live my life again. I focused on my hobbies, spent time with close friends, especially other women, and started exercising to appreciate my body for what it can do. The most important thing was realizing that my life didn’t have to revolve around being detransitioned. There is so much more to life than gender.

Here is a timeline of my journey:

My Age Event
19 Started taking testosterone (T).
19 - 22 Was on testosterone for 3 years. Experienced physical changes and developed health issues (heart arrhythmia, voice problems).
22 Stopped testosterone by tapering off the gel over a few weeks.
22 Experienced severe physical exhaustion for about 1.5 months after stopping. Period returned within a month.
22 - 23 Over the first year off T, my breasts returned and grew larger, body hair softened slightly.
24 (Present) Have been off testosterone for 2 years. Some health issues improved but persist (heart, voice, temperature regulation).

Top Comments by /u/dwelleronburntland:

9 comments • Posting since February 26, 2022
Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains advice for socially detransitioning at school, including telling faculty first, using social media or friends to announce changes, preparing a concise explanation, and managing concerns about gossip.
15 pointsAug 12, 2022
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1.) Tell the faculty first, in whatever way makes you most comfortable. The simplest way to do this is to email your teachers a brief explanation of your situation, but you can talk to them in person if you would prefer that, of course. If your teachers are aware of all this and supporting you, they can have your back if, for whatever reason, somebody else in your class bullies or harasses you over this.

2.) If you have social media, the most efficient way of getting everybody on the same page is writing a brief post about this change and letting them know your new pronouns. The downside of this is publicity, which you may not want, so:

3.) Failing that, tell your closest friends personally, if you haven’t already. When I was originally coming out as trans, my friends helped me by casually letting other people know of my name & pronoun change, e.g. “Oh, xyz goes by abc now, just so you know.”

4.) Consider having a practiced phrase you can pull out if anybody asks you why things changed. For example, I’m a detrans woman, and there are things about me, like my voice, that people sometimes question, so my go-to is, “I identified as a man when I was younger and took testosterone for a few years.” This will be a little different for you, of course, but it takes some of the stress out of things if you have a firm, concise explanation ready.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to control whether or not other students (or even staff members) gossip about you. This is going to be a big, sudden change from their perspectives, and some level of shock/surprise/concern/etc and subsequent discussion amongst themselves is inevitable. Mind you, I don’t think people will fixate on it for very long or even necessarily in a malicious way, and depending on how big your school is, many students may not notice at all. Any significant response will probably be limited to the people who see you most often.

All that being said, people are generally a.) much more worried about their own lives than others’, and b.) much less malicious than anxiety will have you believe. You may very well be surprised at how quickly and politely your peers adjust! Please don’t be discouraged by the possibility of gossip. I know it’s very uncomfortable and painful to imagine being the centre of negative, unwanted attention, but your happiness and truth is more important than that.

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains that the idea of significant sex-based brain differences is a myth used to justify gender norms, citing the article "Neurosexism" and the book *Delusions of Gender* by Cordelia Fine.
11 pointsFeb 3, 2024
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The idea that there are significant differences in brain structure between the sexes is a myth, more often than not used to prop up and justify existing gender norms. Brains are no more sexed than other organs in the body. Read the article “Neurosexism: the myth that men and women have different brains” for a primer (it will come up if you Google it) and then move on to the book Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine for further reading.

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains their experience of significant breast regrowth and soreness after stopping testosterone, describing it as a second female puberty.
11 pointsOct 29, 2022
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I was on T for three years, have been off it for just over a year, and I experienced a lot of changes with my breasts. They filled back out to the size and shape they were pre-T within a few months of stopping (this was painful—they were extremely sore), settled at that size for a few months, and have since gone through a couple of smaller growth spurts (also accompanied by soreness, unfortunately). I experienced a lot of shrinkage on T, so I really wasn’t expecting this to happen, but at this point they’re bigger than they’ve ever been by at least a cup size and still continuing to grow; it’s almost felt like going through another female puberty. It’ll be different for everyone, of course, but I hope this provides some comfort. :)

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains the lesser-known, long-term effects of prolonged testosterone use, including a permanent benign arrhythmia, chronic vocal pain and hoarseness, temperature dysregulation, sexual dysfunction, worsened vaginismus, and bladder retention.
8 pointsDec 20, 2024
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I was on T for 3 years and developed an arrhythmia that, according to my cardiologist, was either caused or exacerbated by the hormones. It’s benign, thankfully, and has improved vastly in the two years I’ve been off T, but will likely never go away entirely. I have issues with my voice as well; I can’t talk for long periods without significant pain and hoarseness, and my larynx often feels uncomfortable and inflamed. I have a lot of trouble with excess sweating and regulating my temperature, and sometimes experience hot flashes.

I think I also experience some minor sexual dysfunction as orgasms feel much different than before (weaker, less enjoyable) and my vaginismus got much worse on T. I have some minor bladder issues, too (retention, not incontinence). Pelvic floor physiotherapy has been effective so far as a treatment.

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains that testosterone leaves the body within weeks, but clarifies that facial hair growth is a permanent change from hormone therapy.
7 pointsJul 4, 2022
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The testosterone isn’t in your body anymore after a year; it would have left your body completely within a couple of weeks of quitting (if I am remembering correctly). Your facial hair is still growing because that’s a permanent change from the hormones. I don’t know if risks of male pattern baldness are elevated for detransitioned women, but just know that the T is absolutely not in your body anymore.

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains the timeline and permanence of changes after stopping testosterone, covering body hair, voice, fat distribution, bottom growth, and hair recovery.
4 pointsNov 1, 2022
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  1. Many detrans women find that their hair growth lessens over time, but the length of time is variable. Some also find their hair eventually grows back slower. I’ve been off testosterone for a year and my body hair comes in a little thinner and softer than it used to—I think it started to change around six months in—but it’s not a noticeable change on me because my hair is dark and I have a lot of it.

  2. It’s probably permanent. Cartilage growth doesn’t revert, as far as I know.

  3. From what I’ve read, people find the changes from their natural hormones to happen faster. I was on T for three years, and after a year off, my face and body are almost indistinguishable from the way they looked pre-T. The biggest difference is I still have some broadness/muscularity that wasn’t there before. As with many of the other points on this list, though, ymmv.

  4. It will probably stop getting hard. It may also shrink somewhat.

  5. It’s possible it could change, but there’s no way of knowing. I’ve read very mixed reports about hair recovery.

  6. Not very long! I don’t recall the exact figure right now, but as long as you weren’t on extended-release injections, it will leave your system in a couple of weeks at the most. If you still have your uterus and ovaries and your cycle begins again, that’s a great sign that your hormones are kicking back in. I got mine back within a month of stopping.

It’s natural to be upset by the position you’re in, but chances are very good you’ll see changes you’re happy with (assuming nothing is wrong with your hormone production). All it will take is patience. :)

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains the physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms they experienced after slowly tapering off testosterone gel, including severe exhaustion, anxiety, and emotional volatility for two months.
4 pointsFeb 26, 2022
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I was on gel, so I slowly tapered my dose over the course of a few weeks before stopping altogether.

I was exhausted for a month and a half after stopping—sleeping in every day and never feeling rested, disproportionately tired after basic tasks/errands, no energy to talk to or spend time with loved ones. It felt like all the physical effects of a bad depressive episode, minus the depression itself. I did experience an increase in anxiety and some emotional volatility, but it was nothing unbearable. By the time I was two months off, I was mostly better.

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) explains their intense physical and emotional exhaustion after stopping testosterone, detailing their recovery over a year and offering advice on therapy, community, and finding purpose beyond detransition.
4 pointsNov 30, 2022
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Hi! I’m so sorry you’re doing so poorly lately. I hope you’re in a place where you have the support and time you need to take care of yourself. HeavenlyMelody91 and cranberry_snacks have written amazing comments that I wholeheartedly agree with, but I will throw my own perspective in too.

If you’re feeling markedly more tired, burnt out, and/or emotional than you were prior to stopping T, know that some of these feelings may lessen or go away as your body adjusts. I also went through a period of intense depression after I detransitioned, and while much of how I felt was purely emotional—the grief, the resentment at my past self for the decisions she made, the anxiety about the future, the list goes on—the physical effects of stopping hormones exacerbated it all terribly. I was so exhausted (physically AND emotionally) that my body felt leaden, and I struggled to focus or apply myself to anything, all despite sleeping for ten to thirteen hours a night. I spent as much of my waking time as possible resting because moving took so much out of me. The worst of this lasted roughly three months.

When I began to detransition, I couldn’t conceive of ever being happy again. It felt utterly beyond me, like I had destroyed every chance of living a fulfilling, meaningful life. A year and two months later, it amazes me every day how much better everything is. I continue to experience slumps similar to what I described above, but they only last a couple of weeks at the most, and aren’t as intense. Everything in my life certainly is not perfect, and I am not happy every moment of the day—no one is—but I am content with where I am. I rarely think about gender anymore, I rarely experience dysphoria, and I rarely resent and blame myself for choosing to transition in the first place.

If you’re looking for a sense of direction, the following things made the most difference for me as I healed. If you don’t want advice, feel free to ignore this part, of course.

  • Therapy. My therapist didn’t push me into feeling one way or another about my detransition, and created a space for me where I could work through everything completely free of judgement and scrutiny. This saved so much of my sanity, especially because I wasn’t comfortable discussing all of my feelings with my trans friends.
  • Spending time with close, trusted friends, especially other women. Putting more energy and care into the other women in my life has reinforced that I deserve the same.
  • Exercising. Using my body. Learning to appreciate it for what it does for me, not what it looks like.
  • Spending time in detransition support groups, like this forum—to a point. Knowing you’re not alone is essential to recovery, imo, but it can be easy to fall into the trap of structuring your identity around being a detransitioned person and spending too much of your time thinking about it. Honestly, it gets boring after long enough; six months of constantly exposing myself to detrans content and I was sick to death of it.
  • The MOST important thing, above all else: LIVING. Engage with your hobbies. Eat food that makes you happy. Spend time with people you love. Like I said before, it is so shockingly easy to fall into the trap of making everything in your life about detransition. There IS more to life than this.

I’m wishing you all the best. Be open to the possibility that your future will surprise you. As they say, the only constant is change. <3

Reddit user dwelleronburntland ([Detrans]🦎♀️) asks about the long-term trajectory of heart palpitations after stopping testosterone.
3 pointsJan 19, 2024
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Have you experienced any changes/improvement to your heart palpitations? I also developed this issue on T and I’m curious to know what the trajectory has been like for other people. I’m 2 years off and mine have greatly reduced in frequency but are definitely still an issue.