puberty discomfort Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 1487 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/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/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/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/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/Luck_Unlucky
I felt like a boy trapped in a girl's body from the time I was a toddler, a feeling that intensified with trauma I experienced. I socially transitioned to live as a man in my 40s and for a while, it felt like the answer. I eventually realized my desire to be male was a coping mechanism tied to my past and internalized shame about being female. Through therapy, I learned to accept my body and understand that my masculine interests don't make me less of a woman. I'm now at peace, living as a masculine woman, and finally free from the depression that haunted me for decades.
/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/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/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/mofu_mofu
I was a tomboy who felt uncomfortable in my body and transitioned to male for nearly a decade, thinking it would fix my deep-seated issues from trauma and internalized homophobia. I took testosterone and lived as a man, but I eventually realized I was chasing an impossible ideal and that my true problem was not accepting myself as a female. After detransitioning, I lost friends and had to accept permanent changes to my voice and body from the hormones. I now live as a butch lesbian and have found peace, understanding that my dysphoria was rooted in trauma, not identity. I’ve learned that womanhood isn’t about stereotypes and that transition isn’t the right solution for everyone.
/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/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.