anxiety Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 1255 unique detransition stories and timelines of people who haved shared their experiences in the /r/detrans subreddit, which is the largest open collection of detransition stories and experiences on the internet!
These stories have been summarised with the help of AI.
/u/portaux
I always felt different from other girls and wanted to be treated with respect, which led me to believe I was a boy. I became deeply depressed and nearly took testosterone, convinced it was my only escape from misogyny. After years of questioning, I realized I didn't want to be a man; I just hated the sexist stereotypes forced on women. I never medically transitioned, and I now see myself as a masculine woman who loves herself as she is. My journey taught me that you don't need to change your body to be your authentic self.
/u/fir3dyk3
I started identifying as non-binary in college because I felt trapped by stereotypes about women and wanted to escape the discomfort of being female in a sexist world. I even considered testosterone, but realized I didn't actually want to be seen as male, especially since my sexuality only made sense to me as a woman loving another woman. After graduating, I saw that identifying as non-binary was a pointless coping mechanism because the world still saw me as female. I let go of that identity and the confusing ideology that came with it, which was a huge relief. Now I'm at peace, simply living as a masculine lesbian without needing a special label to justify who I am.
/u/cagedbunny83
I was a sensitive boy who felt different and dreaded becoming a man, so I transitioned to female as a teenager. I lived as a woman for a few years but was exhausted by the constant fear of being seen as a fraud. I detransitioned at 19 by simply deciding to see myself as a feminine man, and a huge weight was immediately lifted. I realized my problem wasn't being male, but the pressure to be masculine, and I now live happily as an effeminate gay man. I express myself freely in a way that feels right for me, knowing that my style has nothing to do with my sex.
/u/UniquelyDefined
I started identifying as non-binary at 25, thinking it was the answer to my deep discomfort and depression. I was convinced to try hormones, but just one month of estrogen caused permanent, painful breast growth and other changes. I realized I had made a terrible mistake based on internal issues, not because I was born the wrong sex. Now, I’m focused on healing and have learned my problems were from trauma and other conditions, not my body. I’m waiting for surgery to fix the damage and am finally learning to just be myself.
/u/Your_socks
I started transitioning because I hated how my male body changed during puberty, and I thought becoming a woman would fix everything. I loved how estrogen made me look and feel physically, but trying to act like a woman socially felt like a exhausting, fake performance. I realized I wasn't trans after meeting a woman for whom it was natural, while for me it was a stressful act. I've since detransitioned and am living as a male again, but I'm now stuck with all my original insecurities and a deep regret for ever starting. I see now my problem was always a hatred of my masculinized body, not a need to live as a woman.
/u/DraftCurrent4706
I started as a depressed teenager who didn't fit in with other girls and was bullied by boys, which made me hate the idea of being a weak woman. I escaped into anime and began fetishizing gay men, eventually believing I was supposed to be one. My research into the permanent effects of hormones and surgery horrified me and made me realize I could never actually become a man. I understood that I didn't want to be a real man; I just wanted to escape the misogyny I had internalized. Now I'm a happy, masculine woman who worked through my real issues and I'm grateful I never medically transitioned.
/u/novaskyd
I started identifying as a trans man in my late teens because I was a lonely, anxious kid who didn't fit in with other girls. I lived as a man for four years and even got a prescription for testosterone, but using the gel never felt right and made me hesitate. What really changed things was realizing I could still enjoy feminine things and that there's no single way to be a woman. Now, I'm comfortable living as a female; I'm married with kids and see my body for what it can do, not just how it looks. Looking back, I believe my anxiety and social pressures played a big role, and I'm grateful I found my way through it without medical intervention.
/u/trialeterror
I wanted to be a boy from a very young age and started medically transitioning in my mid-twenties. I took testosterone and had top surgery, but I realized it could never make me truly male. I detransitioned because I accepted I am female and that my dysphoria came from trauma and unhealthy thought patterns. While surgery relieved some distress, I now live with chronic pain and some regrets. I'm finally at peace focusing on what my body can do, rather than what it is.
/u/wetfart41968
I started wanting to transition after learning about it online as a kid, feeling like a complete alien around other girls. My journey was driven by trauma, strict gender roles, and a deep desire to escape being female after an assault. I took testosterone for over two years and lived as a man, but it didn't fix my anxiety or self-esteem. I stopped because I realized I needed to address my root issues in therapy, not change my body. Now I'm learning to accept myself as a woman with a unique history, even with the permanent changes from testosterone.
/u/AbsentFuck
I'm a woman in my late twenties who started identifying as a trans man in my teens because I felt I was failing at being feminine. I realized I was just trading one set of exhausting rules for another and that my discomfort came from hating sexist stereotypes, not from being in the wrong body. I had to unpack a lot of internalized misogyny that made me see femininity as weak. I never medically transitioned and I'm now completely at peace being a woman who doesn't follow any rules. My journey taught me that self-acceptance, not transition, was the answer for me.
/u/Chelstrawberrymuffin
I started identifying as a man at 19 because I liked how people treated me and I was struggling with my sense of self from autism and BPD. I was on and off testosterone for two years; it helped my mental health but caused difficult physical changes like a strained voice and health concerns. I finally stopped for good because living as a trans man made my life harder and I missed the ease of being seen as a woman. Now, I've been off hormones for a while and my body has mostly returned to how it was before. I don't regret the journey, but I'm learning to accept being a woman while working through my past issues.
/u/Ryncage
I started as a teenager who was deeply uncomfortable with my body and found the idea of being trans online. I was convinced that medically transitioning was the answer, but testosterone didn't fix my underlying self-hatred and depression. I realized I was using it to escape my real problems instead of facing them. Now, I am detransitioning and working on self-acceptance as a female. I regret the permanent changes and wish I had been encouraged to explore the reasons for my unhappiness first.
/u/Lucretia123
I'm a female who started transitioning after a sexual assault made me feel disconnected from my body. I thought becoming a man would let me escape my pain, so I took testosterone and had surgery. I now realize my discomfort was from trauma, not my true self, and I regret the permanent changes. I've stopped hormones and am focusing on healing through therapy and outdoor activities. I'm learning to accept my body as it is and move forward.
/u/warpdusted
I started identifying as trans masculine at 19, believing it was my only escape from depression and trauma. I was on testosterone for a year and a half and initially loved the confidence it gave me, but trauma therapy helped me realize my dysphoria was a reaction to being mistreated as a female. I decided to detransition, a choice that cost me my relationship and my entire friend group. I’m now learning to embrace being a woman and a lesbian, finding a peace I never had before. I regret the permanent changes but have found strength in finally understanding myself.
/u/spare_eye
I felt out of place as a girl from a young age and later thought I was a trans man because my feelings matched descriptions of gender dysphoria. I realized that what I truly admired were masculine traits that women could also have, and seeing strong female role models changed everything. As I got older, the intense need to change my body faded, and I found peace through nature and exercise. I now see my female body as a strong, functional tool rather than something that defines my personality. I'm relieved I didn't transition and am finally comfortable just being a woman who doesn't fit the stereotype.
/u/mountain-flowers
I started transitioning at 21 because I felt I didn't fit in as a straight girl and thought becoming male would fix my discomfort with my body. I lived as a man for over three years and had top surgery, which I initially loved. I eventually realized I missed womanhood and felt deep grief over losing my ability to breastfeed, which is my biggest regret. I stopped testosterone at 24 and have since embraced my femininity and my desire for a traditional life. I'm now engaged to a wonderful man and am finally at peace with myself as a woman.
/u/hobbittoisengard
I was a lonely young woman who started testosterone at 20 after a psychiatrist linked my dislike of dresses and painful periods to being trans. For nearly seven years, the hormones caused severe health issues and mental distress, completely alienating me from the body I once loved. I finally realized I was just a woman who didn't fit a stereotype, not a man, and I stopped in 2019. I am now left with permanent changes like baldness and a deep voice that I grieve every day. My regret is profound, and I believe my underlying trauma and loneliness were never properly addressed.
/u/neitherdreams
I grew up in a strict home where being a girl felt like a punishment, which made me want to disappear. I tried to escape by creating a genderless persona online and cutting my hair, but it was really about safety, not identity. I never medically transitioned, and I'm grateful for that now because it gave me time to heal. Through therapy and moving out, I slowly realized my discomfort came from trauma, not from being female. I'm now learning to accept myself as a woman, and I'm focused on the harm caused by pushing medical solutions on vulnerable young people.
/u/OnceBitten8240
I was born female and transitioned to male in my twenties to escape severe body discomfort. Testosterone caused serious health problems, which forced me to stop and finally question the ideology I had believed. I now see that my dysphoria was a mental health issue, worsened by internalized homophobia and trauma. I am learning to accept my female body through therapy, though the dysphoria still comes and goes. I am a woman, and I am working to live in peace with the irreversible changes and find my strength again.
/u/SnooCompliments8762
I started identifying as trans as a teenager to escape the discomfort of female puberty and past trauma. I was quickly given testosterone and surgery by doctors who never questioned my underlying issues. I eventually realized I didn't hate being female, I just hated how women are treated in society. Now, I am a detransitioned woman living with permanent physical changes I deeply regret. I feel betrayed by the medical system and have found peace in accepting myself as a woman.