Got FTM Regret?
Often, we tie our identities to our genders. But for transgender people, this notion of establishing their identity can cause concern and can even lead to FTM regret or FTM trans regret.
While there are many reasons why transgender people choose to detransition, by far one of the most controversial is the occurrence of female-to-male or FTM trans regret. After all, there have been many stories of trans men who regretted their decision to transition and opted to go back to their original birth gender.
Learn more about FTM regret and detransitioning as you read the rest of this article.
Dr. Gary J. Rosenbaum is a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast-related surgeries.
If you’re looking for a doctor who understands your needs and can help you with how to detransition MTF through breast restoration, schedule a consultation here.
Is FTM Trans Regret Common?
Among the reasons why transgender people detransition is due to regret.
FTM trans regret happens when an individual experiences the negative feeling of regret after undergoing processes to transform into another gender than the one assigned to them at birth.
Surprisingly, research among 7,928 transgender people showed only 1% of them experienced post-transition regret. Of this number, two-thirds had transfeminine surgery. The remaining respondents underwent transmasculine surgery.
When the FTM regret stats were further analyzed, it was shown that the reasons for FTM regret range from personal, familial, societal, and psychological factors.
Another study of 46 surgeons by Danker et al. (2021) recorded reasons for regret and their desire to transition. Here are the results:
- 49% of surgeon-respondents stated that they never met a patient who expressed transition regret or was seeking detransition care.
- Out of 46 surgeons, 12 surgeons encountered one patient with regret. The remaining surgeons met more than one patient who expressed transition regret.
- Among the patients, 45 regretted genital surgery, and 13 expressed regret over their chest surgery.
Another Swedish study confirmed that out of 59 respondents, there are no reported cases of regret. In addition, 95% of patients who went through sex reassignment surgery said their quality of life improved.
These studies show FTM regret as a minimal driving factor for reassignment surgeries or detransitioning. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who want to detransition.
A trans person may feel compelled to detransition due to various reasons. It may be because of gender dysphoria, societal pressures, familial relationships, or even professional circumstances.
The good thing is, it is possible. The two most common methods that make retransition possible are HRT reversal and detransition surgery.
1. Hormone Replacement Therapy Reversal
HRT or hormone replacement therapy involves administering hormones to achieve characteristics of the preferred gender.
Individuals who want to transition from a biological female to a transgender male may take testosterone to get male characteristics. Men who want to acquire the physical features of a biological female may consume progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone blockers.
Hormones can be administered through injections, oral pills, or topical cream or transdermal patch application.
If an individual feels regret and would like to stop with the process, the effects of hormone replacement therapy will diminish and start to reverse. The body features that can be reversed by stopping HRT are:
- Fat distribution
- Skin texture
- Muscle mass
- Acne
Despite the reversibility or diminished appearance of the mentioned physical features above, there are instances where specific effects cannot be reverted, such as:
- Enlarged breast tissues
- Decreased fertility levels
- Growth of reproductive tissues
2. Detransition Surgery
Unlike hormonal therapy where effects cease to exist once stopped, sex-confirming surgeries are more permanent in nature.
For example, if an individual decided to undergo mastectomy during gender-affirming surgery, they cannot regrow breasts. But breast reconstruction surgery can help them restore their breasts if they wish to undergo detransition surgery.
A person who has undergone metoidioplasty to have a penis may also need to undergo vaginal reconstruction if they want to go back to being a female.
If you’re suffering from FTM regret and are thinking of detransitioning one way or another, selecting a healthcare provider to guide you through the process is a crucial step in achieving gender harmony.
These providers are not only there to help you achieve gender confirmation through medical interventions. They also make the experience a truly life-changing one.
With more and more transgender people exploring their detransitioning options, it is important for healthcare providers to know how to manage their concerns—not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.
If you or a loved one experiences FTM trans regret and asks, “Can you reverse a sex change?” contacting a reliable, knowledgeable, and empathic surgeon can guide them throughout the detransitioning process.
It is not enough that surgeons catering to detransitioners help them prep for detransition surgery or hormone replacement therapy reversal. The complexity of this phenomenon requires support not only from the medical standpoint, but also from the legal and social aspects.
Detransitioners need medical help in gathering accurate information on hormonal treatments, such as the effects, changes, and results of stopping HRT. Their providers should inform them of the possible complications after surgeries or hormonal therapy.
Most of all, detransitioners—no matter what their reason—should be given access to reversal procedures or surgeries.
Hence, medical professionals must be prepared to deal with such a complex issue. They must listen without judgment to understand what these individuals are going through. By listening with an open mind, healthcare providers can give fulfilling, appropriate, and long-term solutions to detransitioners’ problems.
It is important to choose a provider, therapist, or surgeon who makes you feel supported, valued, and heard.
If you decide to go for detransition surgery, you must assess whether your plastic surgeon is board-certified by legitimate authorities such as the American Board of Surgery. They should also have years of experience with plastic surgeries used in detransition surgery, like breast reconstruction or vaginoplasty.
If you’re looking for a doctor who can understand your concerns, provide answers related to detransition, and educate you to make a long-term and sound decision, schedule a consultation with Dr. Gary Rosenbaum.
- How many trans regret transitioning? Manrique, Oscar J. “Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence.” NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8099405/.
- FTM transitioning later in life. “Reconsidering Informed Consent for Trans-Identified Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.” PubMed, 17 March 2022, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35300570/.
- “Detransition: a Real and Growing Phenomenon.” SEGM, 30 May 2021, https://segm.org/first_large_study_of_detransitioners.
- Clark, Tracy. “Detransitioning: Going From Male To Female To Male Again.” Vocativ, 15 June 2015, https://www.vocativ.com/culture/lgbt/detransitioning-male-female-male-again/index.html.
- FTM regret Reddit stories
- https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/2021/03000/regret_after_gender_affirmation_surgery__a.22.aspx
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212091/
- https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/970223