This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on the comments provided, the account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or a bad-faith actor.
The user's comments are highly specific, emotionally consistent, and contain intricate personal medical and experiential details (e.g., specific drug names, dosages, physiological effects, and personal timelines) that would be difficult to fabricate consistently. The account expresses a nuanced perspective that aligns with the complex, often painful, experience of a detransitioner, including anger, trauma, and a desire to help others.
About me
I started identifying as trans when I was 12, and with just one short therapy appointment, I was prescribed testosterone. I was sure it was right for me until a sudden realization at 15 that I wasn't actually male, so I stopped the hormones. Detransitioning in high school was terrifying because my changed appearance confused people and I was often threatened. I now live with permanent physical changes and a chronic pain condition as a result. I deeply regret that it happened so young and believe children cannot consent to these irreversible medical procedures.
My detransition story
My journey with transition and detransition started when I was very young. I was only 12 or 13 when I began identifying as trans. Looking back, I don't think a child that age can possibly understand or consent to the life-altering medical changes that come with transition. My parents were in the military, so we had good insurance, but the safeguards were non-existent. I had one appointment with a therapist I'd never met before that lasted less than 15 minutes, and just like that, I was prescribed testosterone.
I started taking testosterone at 13. For a while, I was sure it was the right thing. I passed as a cis male when I started high school and no one knew my history. I even told my endocrinologist I was happy with the changes and was scheduling top surgery. But then, around 15 or 16, I had a sudden epiphany that I wasn't actually trans. It was literally the same day as that endo appointment. I stopped taking testosterone and began the process of detransitioning.
Detransitioning in high school was awful. I went to a big school in the south, and because I had taken T, my appearance was confusing to people. They often thought I was a trans woman and I got threatened a lot. It was scary and I had many panic attacks, worrying about my safety. I had to explain myself constantly, even to strangers in the bathroom, telling them I was a cis woman who had taken hormones but had a uterus. It was a really difficult time.
Medically, coming off testosterone had its own set of problems. While some changes reverted—my hips filled back out within about six months—I was left with broader shoulders than the average woman, though I think that's also because I like strength training. I also developed a constant, excruciating pain condition called vulvodynia after stopping T. It's so bad sometimes I can't even sit down. I've always had issues down there since I was young, but the hormones made it so much worse. To stop my periods, which returned after stopping T, I take norethindrone, a birth control pill. It works for that, but it doesn't help the pain.
For about a year after stopping, I struggled with the urge to retransition. I'd break down, give myself a shot of testosterone, and then regret it a week or a month later. I finally had to ask my doctor to completely remove it from my medications list so I couldn't refill it easily, creating a long barrier that gave me time to really think and stop myself.
I've benefited a lot from non-affirming therapy and medication for my mental health. I take a combination of Prozac and an antipsychotic called Vraylar. These meds, along with Concerta for a while, have made me feel more calm, sane, and down-to-earth than I ever have before. They helped me work through the depression and anxiety that were so tied up with my gender confusion.
My thoughts on gender have really changed. I now believe that a lot of the distress I felt about my body was something that needed acceptance, not alteration. Wanting a different kind of body doesn't change your identity. There are people who don't like their big hips or square faces; the solution is to learn to accept yourself. Having the medical option to transition creates a barrier to that self-acceptance because it presents change as a solution, when it doesn't fix the root cause of the distress.
I do have regrets about my transition. I regret that it happened so young with so little oversight. I regret the permanent changes to my body and the chronic pain I now live with. I advocate for much stricter guidelines, especially for kids. I think in very rare, select cases it might be necessary for a suicidal teen, but the rules need to be extremely strict. For the most part, children cannot consent to these irreversible changes.
| Age | Event |
|---|---|
| 12-13 | Began identifying as transgender. |
| 13 | Had a single, less-than-15-minute therapy appointment and was prescribed testosterone. |
| 13 | Started taking testosterone. |
| 15-16 | Had an epiphany that I was not trans and decided to detransition. Stopped testosterone. |
| 16 | Began experiencing severe chronic vulvodynia pain after stopping testosterone. |
| 16-17 | Struggled with urges to retransition for about a year. |
| Ongoing | Take norethindrone birth control to stop menstrual cycles. |
Top Comments by /u/soappppie:
i personally don't like this argument for letting kids transition. because whether or not people are looking for cis-passing, children CANNOT consent. these are life-altering changes that for the most part cannot be reversed. i see what you mean though. i think some select cases could be for kids transitioning (VERY suicidal, nothing else works, etc.), but strict guidelines should be placed.
hey! i've done the same thing. transitioned before highschool, started highschool with no one knowing i was trans and passing as a cis male.
i detransitioned in junior year. it was a big school in the south, so lots of transphobes. i got threatened a lot, because people thought i was a transwoman. i got a lot of really weird comments. it was overall very scary and there were many panic attacks and a lot of worrying about my safety. i hope your experience will be different. i thought it was worth it though. i could not stand presenting as a cis male anymore.
my friends were very understanding of me. they were the ones keeping me sane. overall, this time of your life is for self-exploration, and detransition is one way to do that. if you have to, briefly explain yourself if strangers are acting weird to you ("im a cis woman, but i thought i was a trans, so i took hormones for a while. i swear i have a uterus" is something i said in the bathroom a LOT. people will get to know you and stop bothering you).
the fact that you (i think? correct me if im wrong) didn't take hormones will definitely save you a lot of trouble that i went through. you just have to stop caring about what others will think of you for a while. do what you want, start using different pronouns, and change your name if you want to. you're 13, this will only be a small blip in your life and then you can go on like normal.
“be rational instead of being mad at everything and everyone trans who is trans or trans related, it’s not their fault you transitioned and it didn’t end up being your thing.”
you are heavily missing the point of this entire subreddit. many of us transitioned as minors (i transitioned at 12-13, there’s no way i can properly consent to this kind of thing at that age.) on top of that, many of us are constantly ignored and told our experiences never happened, such as what you’re suggesting. many of us are dealing with medical trauma while also being shunned by the majority of people and being told our existence is hurting trans people. it is not unusual for people to get triggered by trauma. most times one of us talks about our experience, we are told it didn’t happen, it’s our fault, we need to stop talking about if, and generally argued against for just sharing our experiences and advocating so that others don’t end up the same way as us. aka, better safeguards.
it is VERY telling how you responded to a post venting about being triggered and struggling and being heavily distressed by doing the EXACT same thing they are talking about. it is not as simple as you are implying.
i think (a heavy assumption) you might mean that us being triggered by trans people is similar to blaming them. no. thats just not true. we are angry because we went through something that heavily hurt us. it is not trans people’s fault, but it hurts SO MUCH to see people actively trying to push something that hurt us.
oh my god i thought it was just me. i had mild cyclical vulvodynia/vestibulodynia (only right before my period), but after coming off T it is constant. it is awful and it’s so bad i cant sit when its at its worst. it’s excruciating. i haven’t found anything that helps, however i am on norethindrone (birth control) and it didn’t get better when i stopped taking it for a bit. i’m back on it now because i dont want periods, but those months off of it didn’t lead to any relief.
i’m sorry you’re also going through this. it makes me feel a lot more comfortable knowing i’m not the only one. ive always had issues down there since i was young and hormones did not help with that in the slightest.
if it’s bad at night, try wearing no underwear. it helps a lot for me when it’s bad at night.
I started testosterone at 13, stopped taking it around 15-16 to detransition. Honestly, that part of your life isn’t much to “miss out” on. Everyone else is also going through an identity crisis, although it’s typically not related to gender. Sure, you’ll never be who you were before. But you’re 14, you have a lot of time ahead of you, including a lot of highschool. You’ll figure yourself out and detransition is the first step to that. On top of that, your family doesn’t exactly sound the best. It’s insanely difficult to find out who you are in a situation like that, but eventually you’ll be able to get out of it.
I wish you the best. I really do get what it’s like to be in this situation. Detransitioning in highschool is awful, but the sooner you do it the better it is for you. <3
questioning trans people (since you mentioned not knowing what your identity is yet) are very welcome here. and, i’d argue trans people who medically detransition are also welcome since that comes with a lot of issues that aren’t talked about enough in normal trans spaces. <3
.. i think this isn’t normal for periods even on T. id urge him to see a gynecologist, or just his primary, no matter how uncomfortable it’ll be. i cant even imagine what that’d even be like, ive never heard of it. that sounds horrific to experience. i hope everything’s alright for him. my mind is jumping to things like vaginal atrophy mixed with periods etc.
you should ask him about going on birth control to possibly stop his period completely if he wants to keep taking testosterone, or to use localized estrogen. t doesn’t always stop cycles.
ive been taking 5mg of norethindrone for years now with no side effects, and my doctor says as long as i’m getting no side effects i can take it indefinitely. it completely stopped my cycle.
i’m glad you found out sooner rather than later. detransition is typically rough even if you start it at the earlier stages. <3 i wish you the best
i also was the same. literally the night of my epiphany of not being trans was the same day i had an endo appointment where i genuinely told her “i’m happy with all the changes so far, and im continuing to take testosterone and scheduling top surgery.”
i take vraylar 1.5mg as an add-on to prozac 20mg. be careful with antipsychotics, i was on abilify 5mg before and even though it was helping i got seizures and akathisia.
i found concerta to help me as well with depression, often related to gender dysphoria, but i can't take it anymore because im more prone to seizures than i thought.
these meds have made me feel the most calm and sane and down-to-earth than ive ever felt.
ssris and snris never help me on their own, but mixed with an antipsychotic it seems to help.