The Truth About Gender Detransitioning and Transgender Regret

Highlights

• Transgender detransition is considered rare.

• Trans people who undergo medical or surgical transition tend to report high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret.

• People who choose to detransition report doing so for a variety of reasons, such as external social pressure, shifting gender identity, mental health challenges, or dissatisfaction with their transition process.

• The detransition process involves taking steps to stop or reverse actions someone has taken to align their gender expression with their gender identity.

• Detransition support is critical for people choosing to stop or reverse their gender transition.

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The majority of transgender individuals who undergo gender transition do not detransition. The decision to detransition is deeply personal and isn’t necessarily tied to regret over the transition process. Everyone deserves access to support and gender-affirming care, whether they are seeking to transition or detransition.

What Does It Mean to Detransition?

Detransitioning describes the process of stopping or reversing gender transition. This happens when a person who has previously taken steps to align their gender expression with their gender identity decides to return to living in alignment with their assigned sex at birth or with a different gender identity. Some people may refer to this as retransition.

Just as there are many ways to transition, there are multiple ways to detransition. This may include changes to social, legal, medical, or surgical steps someone has taken to transition. These changes can be temporary or permanent. 

Transgender Detransition vs. Transgender Regret

Detransition doesn’t equal regret. Some people who choose to detransition express regret related to their original transition, but this is not the case for everyone. This is a deeply personal decision that is difficult to generalize. 

Someone may choose to pause, stop, or reverse their transition process. This does not mean that they no longer identify as transgender or gender diverse. 

Is It Common for People to Detransition?

Detransition is considered rare. The idea that most transgender people will regret their transition or change their minds later is one of the many harmful myths that surround the transgender community. 

The push for large-scale studies and standardized data collection on detransition is rather new. Existing studies use varying definitions and criteria for determining what counts as detransition. This makes it challenging to determine the exact number of people who detransition among the transgender and gender diverse community. 

Despite these limitations, most available research suggests that rates of both detransition and regret are relatively low among people who have transitioned.

Transgender Detransition Statistics

Overall, the estimated prevalence for detransition ranges from less than one percent up to 13 percent across recent studies. This wide variation is attributed to differences in sample size, research methods, country of origin, and the population being studied.

For example, researchers have explored detransition rates using a variety of definitions and criteria. Many studies have grouped together temporary and long-term detransition, making it difficult to distinguish between the two categories. This means that detransition could be overestimated within certain studies.

A study recently published in LGBT Health examined the prevalence of, and the factors that influence detransition in the United States. Out of 17,151 transgender and gender diverse adults who had ever taken steps to transition, 2,242 (13.1 percent) had detransitioned at some point in their lives. This is on the higher end of detransition estimates.

A recent study published in Pediatrics assessed transition and retransition among transgender youth five years after their initial social transition. The researchers found that 94 percent of binary transgender youth continued to identify as binary transgender five years after their initial social transition. This suggests that the majority of youth who begin social transition maintain their gender identity at least five years later.

The researchers also found that 7.3 percent of the participants had transitioned at least once during the five year period. However, some of these youth (1.3 percent) returned to their binary transgender identity by the end of the period. A total of 3.5 percent of the participants later identified as nonbinary, and 2.5 percent identified as cisgender at the end of the period.

Transgender Regret is Rare

Cornell University conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed research published between 1991 and 2017 to assess the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being. Review of 55 studies revealed that regrets following gender transition are extremely rare; regret rates ranged from 0.8 percent to 3.8 percent.

Some transgender people take steps to align their bodies with their gender identity through medical or surgical transition. Much of the research we have on transgender regret and detransition is focused on medical or surgical transition. Research suggests that patient-reported regret and detransition is rarest among people who have undergone medical or surgical transition.

For example, a 2021 meta-analysis of 27 studies examined patient-reported regret following gender-affirmation surgery (GAS). The researchers concluded that the prevalence of regret among transgender people who underwent GAS was approximately 1 percent. 

Why Might Someone Detransition?

Gender-affirming care is considered a life-saving resource for gender diverse people. Many transgender people choose to transition to align their gender expression or appearance with their gender identity. However, the transition experience is unique to each individual, and some people may choose to detransition. 

Reasons for detransition vary from person to person. However, detransition is often attributed to external factors, such as external social pressure, discrimination, or access to gender-affirming care. Misunderstandings about why people choose to detransition continue to fuel myths about the transgender community and transgender health care.

Changes in Gender Identity

Many people find that their understanding of, and expression of their own gender identity evolves over time. Some people who transition later realize that their original transition doesn’t fit their current gender identity. They may choose to detransition temporarily or to transition to another gender identity entirely.

Not everyone who chooses to detransition will identify as cisgender. For example, someone may no longer identify as transgender but instead identify as genderqueer, genderfluid, or nonbinary. By choosing to detransition, they can explore their gender identity and gender expression in new ways.

Some people who detransition do identify as cisgender. They also require support and consideration throughout the detransition process.

External Pressure

Transgender and gender diverse people face substantial external and social pressures that can influence their decision to transition or to detransition. These pressures contribute to risk for gender dysphoria and poor mental health outcomes. Many people do not have the access to gender-affirming care or social support needed to feel safe living as a transgender person. 

Researchers at The Fenway Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) examined the driving factors for past detransition among adults. They found that 82.5 percent of those who detransitioned attributed this to at least one external factor. These factors included pressure from family, non-affirming school environments, and increased vulnerability to violence. 

The top three reasons selected were:

• Pressure from a parent (35.5 percent)
• Pressure from their community (32.5 percent)
• Trouble finding a job (26.8 percent)

Dissatisfaction with Medical Transition

Most transgender people report satisfaction with medical or surgical transition. However, some people may experience dissatisfaction with the process or the outcomes of their medical transition. This could include physical discomfort, changes in sensation, unexpected complications, or unmet expectations.

Mental Health

Transitioning can be a challenging and time-intensive process. Pervasive social stigma, discrimination and harassment, and barriers to care place trans people at an increased risk for self-harm and suicidality. Many people experience improved mental health outcomes following gender-affirming care, but individual experiences vary.

Some people may experience additional anxiety during or after transition related to gender dysphoria, support and acceptance, or the transition process itself. They may need to temporarily or permanently detransition so they can focus on their mental health and well-being apart from transition.

Fertility Challenges

Thanks to modern medical technology and practices, transgender people have more options for fertility preservation than ever before. For example, trans women may use the extended sperm search and microfreeze (ESSM) procedure to preserve their sperm. However, some fertility options require temporary detransition.

What Does the Detransition Process Look Like?

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to detransition. Anyone who detransitions deserves access to comprehensive support and compassion, regardless of their reasons for detransitioning.

The steps someone takes to detransition depend on a variety of factors, such as:

• Transition progress. This includes the steps they’ve already taken to transition. This might include social transition, medical transition, or surgical transition.
• Resources available. This includes the resources and support a person has access to for the detransition process. For example, someone may have access to a support group but may not have access to the medical or surgical care needed to reverse previous transition procedures.
• Timeline for detransition. If someone wishes to detransition only temporarily, they may not take extensive steps to detransition. For example, if someone detransitions to address fertility issues, they may stop taking gender-affirming hormones for several months but resume taking them later on.

Transgender Detransition Help

The detransition process is highly individualized to the person detransitioning. Regardless, this process can be complex and can cause emotional distress. Advocacy organizations, such as the National Center for Transgender Equality, provide information and resources for people choosing to transition or to detransition. 

People undergoing detransition may benefit from:

• Community support. Support from loved ones, community support groups, the LGBTQ+ community, or people who have also detransitioned can provide emotional support and validation throughout the detransition process.
• Healthcare provider support. Guidance from trusted health care providers and providers with experience in transition and detransition is critical for assessing medical needs related to detransition.
• Legal counsel. Some people may need to update legal identification or complete a legal name change.
• Mental health support. Many people find it helpful to use therapists or other mental health providers to support them throughout the detransition process. Some therapists specialize in gender transition counseling and related services.

Healthier and Happier Relationships with eDrugstore

No two detransition journeys are exactly alike. Accessing evidence-based information, personalized resources, and support can help you to have a safe and healthy detransition experience.

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