About experiencing my first period after detransitioning | Detrans female
Five years of testosterone left me begging for a hysterectomy—until my first period back showed me the organ I wanted gone is actually keeping me alive. Transition sold me a cure; detransition gave me my body back.
Overview
MacKenzie Wells reflects on her second period since detransitioning, describing how the once-dreaded monthly cycle now feels normal and even welcome. She recalls the early, heavy periods that fueled her desire to transition and how testosterone’s aftermath left her unexpectedly calm and accepting of her body’s natural rhythms.
Full Video Summary
MacKenzie Wells, seated in the passenger side of her truck on a quiet Colorado backroad, begins the video by noting the end of her most recent menstrual cycle—only her second since stopping testosterone and detransitioning. She observes that her periods now last three-and-a-half to four days, shorter than the four-and-a-half to five days she experienced in California, and jokes half-seriously whether the high-altitude, lower-oxygen environment could be a factor. Regardless, she welcomes the shorter duration as a sign her body is "way healthier" now that it's free from cross-sex hormones. Looking back, MacKenzie remembers how intensely she once reacted to menstruation. She hit puberty early—developing breasts at nine and getting her first period at twelve—and recalls week-long flows so heavy she felt trapped in "adult diapers." The discomfort was worsened by cerebral palsy and feeling like everything was moving "too fast" for a child to handle. She now sees the distress she once called "dysphoria" as a common reaction to early puberty rather than proof of an innate transgender identity. After five-and-a-half years on testosterone, she expected restarting her cycle to be traumatic, but instead, her first post-T period arrived "practically normal," with mild cramps and no emotional turmoil. The lack of anger, resentment, or panic surprised her: "It was like all that time I spent running away… I feel nothing. There’s inconvenience, irritation, but no hatred." That emotional neutrality, she says, was a turning point. Once desperate for a hysterectomy and top surgery—believing her uterus was just a disposable "baby house"—she now sees it as an "anchor" crucial for pelvic health, memory, and long-term well-being. She mentions studies linking hysterectomies to higher risks of dementia, stroke, and prolapse and vents that healthy women who identify as trans can get the surgery easily, while women with severe gynecological conditions face endless hurdles. Her frustration highlights how drastically her views have changed: she now "fully embraces and even enjoys" her period, celebrating it as proof her body is "healthy and meant to be this way." MacKenzie credits her smooth detransition partly to age and maturity—"I grew out of my pain"—and partly to testosterone’s lasting hormonal effects. She feels lucky she didn’t experience the prolonged bleeding, hot flashes, or mood swings some detransitioned women describe and wonders if testosterone played a role in lightening her periods even now. But the biggest shift was psychological: she compares the moment she stopped dreading her period to a "switch" flipping, leaving her relieved and free. Ending the video, she admits she has no detrans friends in real life and that recording herself on empty roads is her only outlet, but she promises more "word-vomit" videos soon.