Transgender Action Online

SarahEL

Administrator

From: Minnesota

Registered: 2023-03-09

Posts: 170

Website

How common is transgender treatment regret, detransitioning?

It's difficult to gather precise figures on detransition and regret, as it's an elusive topic to study. There have been attempts to study it, and they all seem to suggest that the percentage of people who detransition or regret their transition is minimal, usually around 1%. However, any instances of regret are often seen as a failure of the systems in place because the treatment is elective, and thus any negative outcome is not seen as acceptable to the majority. In contrast, any positive outcomes are not seen as a win. GRS is not like treating cancer, where any outcome other than death is seen as a success.

If we were to track a group of people who are exploring their gender, it's likely that a larger majority of them would realize that transitioning is not their path or solution. However, does this qualify as detransitioning? Once a person is living full-time in their gender and has undergone surgery, regretting it would suggest that they had unresolved issues that needed to be addressed, likely on a psychological level.

For scientists who want to study this topic, there are significant challenges. They not only have to keep track of participants for decades (since we don't know when or if regret will strike), but they also need the consent and willingness of participants to complete assessments. If someone is now living as a different gender and has moved on from their previous experiences, they may not want to relive their past by answering questions about their gender. On the other hand, if everything is going well, they may not want to dwell on the harder parts of their life.

So, it's unlikely that we will be able to definitively answer the question of detransition and regret. Studies that do exist are either an amalgamation of other studies, small samples, specific populations or time frames. Even estimating the percentage of the population with gender issues is a difficult task.

In my experience of talking to other people with gender issues, I believe that regret and detransition are the exception rather than the rule. Most people who think they may have some gender issues probably do, and the only cure for gender dysphoria is social and medical transition. During this process, some people may realize that transitioning is not the root of their issues, but they likely never get to the point of making irreversible decisions or damaging their bodies. The majority of people who transition get the help they need and complete their journey successfully. However, problems arise when safeguards and trained help are not available to anyone who feels uneasy with their gender. While regretting one's transition is infrequent, the media can jump on any such story and cause harm to the community.

---

Sarahel-slang term: Coming from the Gewada region language in Ethiopia
-when two people are very close friends, it is said to be Sarahel
Ex. Those two really love each other, they are sarahel