influenced online Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 1611 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/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/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/ComparisonSoft2847
I started as a teenager who was deeply uncomfortable with my developing female body and jealous of the freedom boys had. I thought becoming a man was the only way to be a valid, masculine person attracted to women. After being approved for testosterone, I got scared of the health risks and the performative role I felt I'd have to play. I fell into a long depression, but through therapy, I realized my struggle was with internalized homophobia and misogyny, not my sex. Now, I'm a happily married lesbian, finally comfortable as a masculine woman, and I regret the years I lost to that confusion.
/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/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/sara7147
I watched my happy, athletic daughter suddenly declare she was a boy after being immersed in trans content online, which felt like a social trend, not something coming from within her. I believe she was struggling with the normal awkwardness of puberty and social rejection, and she latched onto this as a solution. I refused medical interventions and instead found a therapist who focused on her underlying mental health without pushing any labels. We focused on family time and real self-acceptance, and it was a slow, difficult journey with many ups and downs. Now, I believe my role was to love her through her pain and protect her from making irreversible decisions based on a temporary feeling.
/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/Sorry-not-Sorry-666
From a very young age, I felt a deep discomfort with being a girl and desperately wished I was a boy. I thought transitioning was the answer, but I realized it was just an aesthetic change that couldn't actually make me male. I discovered my dysphoria was really rooted in internalized sexism and a rejection of sexist gender roles forced on me. Now, I am at peace as a masculine woman, having learned to accept my female body. My main regret is the years I spent hating myself because of a harmful ideology.
/u/HeForeverBleeds
My journey started with severe childhood abuse that made me feel unsafe in my own male body, and I wished I was a girl to escape the pain. I was a feminine boy who was bullied, and finding online communities made me believe transitioning was the answer, which brought temporary relief. A therapist quickly encouraged me towards hormones and surgery, but a conversation with my dad helped me see my desire to transition came from trauma and a hatred of male stereotypes, not from truly being female. I detransitioned and realized I am just a gender non-conforming man, and accepting that made my dysphoria fade away. I'm now at peace, living as a feminine man and believing that self-acceptance, not changing your body, is the real solution.
/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/wispo-wills
I started identifying as male at 16 after discovering the concept online, and I was quickly prescribed testosterone. I lived as a guy for a year and a half, but it felt like an exhausting performance that left me isolated. I realized my real issue was internalized misogyny and a deep discomfort with feminine stereotypes, not a need to be male. I stopped hormones at 19 and began the difficult process of accepting my female body, which was permanently changed by testosterone. Now, at 26, I have found peace by rejecting rigid gender roles and embracing my own unique womanhood.
/u/LostSoul1911
My journey started with childhood trauma that made me feel unsafe in my body as a woman. I transitioned to male at 16, thinking it was the answer, but I was never truly happy and my mental health got worse. After top surgery, I realized I was just trying to escape being sexualized and finally detransitioned. I now have to live with permanent changes like a deeper voice and no breasts, which I deeply regret. I'm finally healing, embracing being a woman again, and rebuilding my life.
/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.