Summary

Researchers interviewed six UK women who medically transitioned and later detransitioned, looking for shared themes. All had taken testosterone for 1 to 5 years, and four had had both breasts removed. Four themes emerged. First, hormones and surgery did not resolve their distress or change their sex. Second, they worried about the long-term health effects of testosterone. Third, their sense of belonging changed, and some felt more at home among women and lesbian communities. Fourth, detransition was an ongoing process, and their needs were mostly not met by health services. The authors call for careful whole-person assessment before transition, research on testosterone's long-term effects in women, and better support for people detransitioning. It gives a detailed picture of a few lives, but six similar, self-selected people cannot show how common this is.

Key findings

• 출생 시 여성인 영국 성인 6명(21~32세)을 인터뷰했습니다. 모두 1~5년간 테스토스테론을 복용했고 시작 연령은 17~24세였으며, 4명은 양쪽 유방을 제거했고, 2개월에서 5년 전에 디트랜지션했습니다.
• 의학적 전환에는 한계가 있었습니다. 호르몬과 수술은 성별 불쾌감이나 근본적인 정신 건강의 어려움을 완전히 해결하지 못했고, 일부는 신체 변화 후 고통이 더 커지거나 달라진 몸에 대한 고통을 느꼈습니다.
• 장기 건강 걱정이 결정을 이끌었습니다. 심장 위험, 자궁 위축, 불임 같은 여성 몸에 대한 테스토스테론의 알려지지 않은 영향에 대한 걱정이 디트랜지션으로 이어지는 데 도움이 되었고, 사전에 제대로 설명받지 못했다고 느꼈습니다.
• 소속감은 시간이 지나며 바뀌었습니다. 많은 사람이 남성으로 사는 것보다 여성 및 레즈비언 공동체와 연결될 때 더 자기다움을 느꼈고, 일부는 여성이 무엇인가에 대한 좁은 생각이 처음 전환을 결정하는 데 영향을 주었음을 깨달았습니다.
• 디트랜지션은 복잡하고 진행형이었습니다. 슬픔, 죄책감, 더 남성적인 외모로 사는 것 같은 현실적인 문제를 가져왔고, 대부분은 고통을 다루는 방법으로 의학적 치료가 아닌 다른 길을 찾았습니다.
• 지원은 대체로 부족했습니다. 의사와 치료사가 충족해 주지 못한 필요를 이야기했고, 정보, 실용적 조언, 정서적 지지를 위해 온라인 디트랜지션 공동체에 의지하는 경우가 많았습니다.
• 6명 중 4명은 자폐 진단을 받았습니다(논문의 한 부분에서는 자폐 또는 ADHD).

Abstract

The visibility and presence of people who have detransitioned following a gender transition is growing, with an increase in research on the needs and experiences of this group. This study presents a thematic narrative analysis of interviews from six females (M = 25.5 yrs; range = 21–32 yrs). All detransitioned after having at least one gender-affirming medical or surgical treatment as part of a gender transition in the UK. Four narrative themes were developed to capture how they made sense of their detransition: (1) the limits of medical transition, (2) the longer-term health implications, (3) the social limits of transition, and (4) detransition as an ongoing process. Participants discussed a range of emotional, practical, and other support needs, largely unmet by healthcare or other services. These findings highlight the importance of ensuring that people have realistic expectations of transition as part of a holistic assessment process. Long-term health outcome research is also needed, addressing the impact of testosterone on female anatomy and health specifically. Further clinical implications with those considering transition or detransition are discussed.

Conclusion

This research adds an in-depth analysis to the previous literature on detransition. Participants detransitioned because they found medical transition had limits to resolve distress, or to change their sex. The ongoing health implications and associated risks were also a factor for most. Participant perception of social group belonging often shifted after transition, sometimes linked to feminist values, or perhaps reflecting the normal developmental experiences and trajectory of adolescence and early adulthood as young people explore their identities in different social contexts. It is also possible that the experience of the physical limits of transition to transform them, left the social aspects feeling hollow, increasing social dysphoria related to the new gender. Detransition was a complex and individual, ongoing process, with a range of needs expressed. Implications for clinical practice with people considering transition and detransition were discussed.