body dysmorphia Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 708 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/furbysaysburnthings
I started transitioning to male at 25 to escape feeling like a failed woman and the pain from my past. I was on testosterone for over seven years, but I eventually realized I was using it as a coping mechanism, not because I was truly a man. Moving away from my affirming social circle gave me the perspective to see I was living a lie and dissociating from myself. I've been detransitioning for a year now, working to reverse the physical changes, which is difficult and scary. I now accept that I am female and am trying to build an identity for myself outside of gender entirely.
/u/xnyvbb
I was a girl who felt uncomfortable with my body and thought I was supposed to be a boy, influenced by online communities and a past relationship. My transition, including testosterone and surgery, was traumatic and triggered severe health issues, leaving me with permanent changes. I realized my feelings were rooted in trauma, autism, and OCD, not in being male. I am now focused on accepting my female body and healing from my past. I deeply regret my choices and am undergoing expensive procedures to try and feel like myself again.
/u/Werevulvi
I was born female and transitioned to live as a man for nine years, starting when I was twenty. I later realized my dysphoria came from trauma and internalized homophobia, not from being truly transgender. I detransitioned after a sudden breakthrough where I integrated with a dissociative part of myself and my perspective completely shifted. I now live as a woman again, but I grieve my mastectomy every day and struggle with my permanently deep voice and beard. Despite the pain, I am finally at peace with being a lesbian and am healing from the past.
/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/spamcentral
I was a tomboy from the start and felt punished when puberty hit and my body changed. After years of being misgendered, I identified as non-binary, but that just left me feeling isolated and confused. Losing a lot of weight helped me see my natural masculine frame, and I realized my real issues were trauma and society's narrow expectations for women. I stopped identifying as non-binary and now accept myself as a gender non-conforming woman in a happy relationship. My journey taught me that true peace comes from healing the root causes of pain, not from changing your body.
/u/IsntthatNeet
I was born male and felt a deep, constant discomfort with my body from a young age. When puberty hit, that feeling became unbearable, and I started transitioning in my late teens, which gave me hope and saved my life for several years. Eventually, I realized that medical transition couldn't change my fundamental biology, and I became fixated on its limitations. I detransitioned because living as a male seemed simpler than chasing an unattainable ideal, even though my dysphoria never went away. Now, I live as a man, managing the same old pain but without the hope that transition once offered.
/u/Ok_Bullfrog_8491
I started hating my female body as a teenager and developed anorexia to stop my periods and look androgynous. I broke several bones at 21 because my eating disorder had given me osteoporosis, which was my wake-up call. During my recovery, I found weightlifting and began to appreciate my body for its strength instead of how it looked. I was later diagnosed with autism, which helped me understand my social struggles weren't because I was meant to be male. I am now a healthy, happy woman and I want to help others avoid the same suffering I went through.
/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/Lurkersquid
I was a tomboy from a young age and started wishing I was a boy in fifth grade so I could dress how I wanted. In high school, online communities convinced me my discomfort with being female meant I was a man, so I socially and then medically transitioned. Living as a man was isolating because I only passed as a young boy, and I became obsessed with not being "clocked." A profound psychedelic experience made me realize I was fighting my own healthy body for no reason, so I stopped hormones. I'm now a masculine woman, and my dysphoria is gone now that I've accepted myself.
/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/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/oldtomboy
I never fit in with other girls, so I thought becoming a man was the answer. I started testosterone and had top surgery, and for a while, I loved the changes and the social acceptance. But I eventually realized I would never be male and developed serious health issues from the hormones. I stopped testosterone and have been learning to accept myself as a female. I'm now focusing on my health and finding peace as a masculine woman.
/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/recursive-regret
I started hating my male body when puberty began, especially the body hair and balding. I took estrogen for four years hoping to fix it, but I never looked like a woman and the public hostility was unbearable. I detransitioned because my presence was causing my loved ones distress and I couldn't achieve the physical change I needed. Now I'm back to living as a man, but I'm isolated and my hatred for my body is worse than ever. I believe transition only works if you can fully pass; otherwise, it causes more pain for everyone.
/u/RulerTheLion
I was born female and started identifying as a trans man as a teenager, taking testosterone for two years. I now believe my discomfort was more about body dysmorphia and social influence than being the wrong sex, so I've stopped hormones to medically detransition. I don't regret my journey, as it was a necessary step for me to learn that identity isn't fixed. Currently, I'm working with a therapist and living socially as a man while I explore what I truly want without any pressure. I'm focusing on getting to know myself beyond labels and making choices I won't regret later.
/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/NeverCrumbling
I was born male and felt a deep discomfort with my body and social expectations from a very young age. My dysphoria was rooted in my autism and a deep sense of not fitting in, which I later confused with a fetish I developed from online pornography. I realized in my early twenties that my desire to be a woman was a coping mechanism, not an identity. Through years of self-reflection, mindfulness, and rejecting those fantasies, I overcame the dysphoria. I am now at peace as a male and profoundly grateful I never medically transitioned.