serious health complications Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 558 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/DetransIS
I was born with an intersex condition and felt like a freak because my body developed differently from other girls. I was manipulated into believing I was a boy and started testosterone as a teenager. The hormones and surgeries caused permanent health problems and changed my body in ways I can't reverse. I stopped years ago, but I now live with deep regret and a body that doesn't feel like mine. I was failed by everyone who should have helped me love myself as the woman I am.
/u/Takeshold
I started testosterone as an adult because I struggled with being a masculine woman and thought becoming a man was the answer. For years, I lived as male and saw how much easier life was for men, but I felt a deep loneliness and lost my connection to other women. I realized my pain came from internalized homophobia and that transitioning didn't solve my problems, while also introducing health risks my doctors never warned me about. Detransitioning was frightening, but I found acceptance in women's communities and learned to manage my dysphoria without changing my body. Now I'm a happier butch lesbian, living as a woman on my own terms and accepting the permanent changes from testosterone.
/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/Hedera_Thorn
I was a feminine boy who started my transition as a teenager because I was bullied and wanted to escape becoming a man after a traumatic experience. I had surgery and lived as female for years, but it never fixed my deeper problems with trauma and internalized homophobia. I now deeply regret it, as the surgeries left me with permanent pain and infertility. I've come to understand my dysphoria was never about being the wrong sex. I'm now in my 30s, finding peace by accepting reality and sharing my story to help others.
/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/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/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/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/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/L82Desist
I was a tomboy who started fantasizing about being a boy as a child, which I now understand was a way to cope with trauma and internalized misogyny. I transitioned in my twenties, lived as a man for over twenty years, and had surgeries, but the dysphoria never went away and I felt like a lonely fraud. In my mid-forties, therapy helped me see that my desire to be male was a coping mechanism to escape the trauma of being female. I detransitioned seven years ago, and while I deeply regret the permanent changes to my body, my gender dysphoria is now completely gone. I have finally found peace by accepting my female body and rejecting the harmful ideas I once believed.
/u/feed_me_see_more
I started identifying as a trans man at 19, hoping it would solve my deep unhappiness and body image issues. I was on testosterone for seven years, which caused serious health problems and made me feel like I was living a lonely lie. I stopped in 2022 when my body couldn't take it anymore, and seeing a friend breastfeed made me realize I was robbing myself of my womanhood. Now, I'm learning to live authentically as a woman with a body permanently changed by the hormones. I deeply regret the damage done and believe my pain was exploited by a medical system that should have protected me.
/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/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/Weird-Experience-123
I was born female and transitioned to live as a man in my early twenties after experiencing trauma and feeling disconnected from my body. I took testosterone for nine years and had surgery to remove my breasts, a decision I deeply regret. I now see my dysphoria was a symptom of my pain, and I was failed by a medical system that didn't help me explore my trauma. I've stopped hormones and am learning to live as a woman again, though my flat chest is a permanent reminder of that time. My journey has taught me that you don't need to change your body to have an identity, and I am now focused on healing and self-acceptance.
/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/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/drink-fast
I knew I was a boy from a very young age and started testosterone as a teenager. I stopped after realizing my transition was driven by trauma, autism, and a rejection of being female, not by being truly male. The hormones caused me serious health problems and intense mood swings, so I quit for good. Now, my voice is permanently deep and I'm often mistaken for a man, which makes it hard to connect with other women. I'm trying to find peace by accepting myself as a masculine woman and healing from my past.
/u/HeavenlyMelody91
I was a teenage tomboy who felt pressured by a therapist and online friends into believing I was a boy because I didn't fit feminine stereotypes. I took testosterone, and the physical changes like a deeper voice and facial hair immediately felt wrong and foreign to my body. I was told to push through the doubt, but I eventually stopped and had to undergo painful and expensive procedures to reverse some of the damage. I now understand my discomfort wasn't with being female, but with how society treats women, and I deeply regret ever transitioning. Today, I live as a masculine woman, managing the permanent changes with a lot of regret.