DETRANSITION SURGERY

transgender regret mental health

Transgender Regret Rate

and its Effects on
Mental Health

Among all the possible reasons people transition from one gender to another, gender dysphoria remains one of the top factors. However, when the transition process doesn’t relieve a person’s dysphoria, transgender regret might occur. This adds up to the percentage of transgender regret statistics.

Many people believe transgender regret to be one of the most common reasons for detransitioning. After all, the media has been extensively covering stories of transgender regret and bringing them under the spotlight. 

 

Dr Gary Rosenbaum MD

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.

CONTACT DR. ROSENBAUM

Transgender Regret Rate:

How Many Transgenders Regret Transitioning?

Transgender regret is usually caused by the lack of social support upon transition or poor surgical results when utilizing outdated procedures.

Based on the actual percentage of transgender regret statistics, regret after going through transition is relatively uncommon.

Discover the real deal about the percentage of transgender regret rate in this article. We will examine research, statistics, and real-life tales to better understand what occurs when someone decides to change their gender.

According to various statistics, there is no exact number of trans people who regret having transition surgery from male to female or vice versa. 

For instance, in a 2021 study of detransitioners, only 16 people—or 0.47%—out of 3,398 respondents expressed transgender regret. This indicates a low percentage of transgender regret among detransitioners.

Another 2021 study revealed that only 1% of 7,928 transgender people felt regret after gender-affirmation surgeries.

Despite these relatively low transgender regret rate, some who have lived as transgender males or females and detransitioned say that the numbers are far higher and that people are scared to come out.

Transgender Regret Narratives

While some detransitioners have come out in the open and detailed their detransitioning stories, there are still many more looking for ample support from both their immediate circles and healthcare providers.

Here are a few stories shared by detransitioners who have seemingly gone over the hurdles of their detransitioning journey. 

A Founder’s Story

Eva is a woman who spent her adolescence as a transgender male. 

Though she did not undergo surgical transition, she decided that she did not want to live as a guy when she reached adulthood. She claimed that both family members and physicians “misled” her.

Eva feels that transition is necessary for certain gender dysphoric adolescents. Still, she also believes that therapeutic methods that push young people too hard on the path to transition are also problematic.

As a result, Eva founded Detrans Canada. It is a group that assists detransitioners who feel shunned by their loved ones and society in general because of their choice to detransition.

At the time of writing, Detrans Canada has yet to launch. However, Eva remarked that a Reddit forum for detransitioners increased from 3,000 to over 16,000 members in just a few months this year.

Bridging Detransitioners

Another similar story is that of Charlie, a detransitioned woman who spent ten years living as a man. 

She stated that she is in contact with hundreds of individuals after openly announcing her detransition. According to her, the majority of trans persons who contacted her were 19 to 20-year-olds who regret having gender reassignment surgery.

She shares that the number of young individuals seeking gender transition is at an all-time high. But little is known about how many of them later regret their decision, discovering they are dissatisfied with their new gender.

Charlie is astounded by the number of trans people who contacted her and claimed to be in a similar situation as hers.

A Detransitioner’s Pain

Another inspiring detransitioning story was that of Sinead Watson, an advisor of Genspect. Genspect is a parent-based organization attempting to halt medical transitions for adolescents and children. 

As a detransitioner, Sinead transitioned from female to male in 2015 and went back to being female in 2019.

According to Sinead, the most difficult element of detransitioning was acknowledging to herself that her transition was a mistake. 

“It’s embarrassing, and you feel ashamed and guilty,” she stated. She added that it may entail losing friends who suddenly considered her a “bigot, while you’re also dealing with transition regret.”

Sinead said that people feeling uneasy “need a therapist who will listen to them.” After all, her therapists treated her poorly when she first detransitioned. “They just didn’t want to talk about detransition,” she explained.

Mental Health Issues Associated with Transgender Regret Statistics

It’s common for people with transgender regret to have mental health issues. This also includes suicidal risks among transgender people.

Regardless of the reason for transitioning, transgender people who experience regret after transitioning are vulnerable to mental health problems. 

Different studies reviewed the statistics of mental health issues related to transgender regret.

For instance, in the 2015 US Transgender survey, 40% of the respondents had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.

Similarly, a study conducted in 2017 revealed that an average of 56% of respondents had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. Twenty-nine percent of them had attempted suicide.

A 2015 comparative study showed that trans persons have a greater frequency of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality than the cisgender or non-trans population. There are gender disparities in these rates, with trans men being more likely to engage in NSSI behavior.

Another 2015 study also showed that comorbid disorders and suicide risk remain significant compared to controls.

These studies reflect how common mental health problems and suicide risks are in the transgender community. 

Despite the low percentage of transgender regret rate, it does not mean that trans people who experience it must be neglected. In fact, they need more support because of the mental health problems they face. 

Conclusion

Transgender regret statistics may show relatively low numbers. But it is also undeniable that the number of trans people experiencing regret after transitioning is also growing over time.

These individuals need support. Sadly, the support provided to detransitioners presently appears to be insufficient. 

Many detransitioners suffer from medical and mental health problems. The rejection they’re facing from the transgender community also adds to their challenges. Their correction of the rebuttal should be supported.

While transgender regret isn’t the primary reason for most detransitioning instances, all detransitioners need to receive empathetic support.

Detransitioners need to find a healthcare provider that’s both considerate and open-minded. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Rosenbaum is one such example, as he understands the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of his detransitioning patients.

If you are considering undergoing detransition, schedule a consultation with Dr. Gary Rosenbaum.

References:
  1. 3rd biennal EPATH Conference Inside Matters. On Law, Ethics and Religion. (2019, April 13). EPATH. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://epath.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Boof-of-abstracts-EPATH2019.pdf 

  2. Prevalence of regret: Bustos, V. P., Bustos, S. S., Mascaro, A., Del Corral, G., Forte, A. J., Ciudad, P., Kim, E. A., Langstein, H. N., & Manrique, O. J. (2021, March 19). Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33968550/ 

  3. James, S. E. (2015). THE REPORT OF THE. National Center for Transgender Equality. https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf 

  4. Liebert, M. A. (2017, April 1). Varied Reports of Adult Transgender Suicidality: Synthesizing and Describing the Peer-Reviewed and Gray Literature. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436370/ 

  5. Marshall, E., Claes, L., Bouman, W., Witcomb, G. L., & Arcelus, J. (2016). Non-suicidal self-injury and suicidality in trans people: A systematic review of the literature. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26329283/ 

  6. Becker, I., Gjergji-Lama, V., Romer, G., & Moller, B. (n.d.). [Characteristics of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria referred to the Hamburg Gender Identity Clinic]. PubMed. from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25296510 

  7. https://post-trans.com/Detransition-English
  8. Eva: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/i-feel-angry-why-some-people-regret-and-reverse-their-transgender-decisions
  9. Charlie: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20191007/Hundreds-of-trans-people-regret-changing-their-gender-says-trans-activist.aspx
  10. Genspect: https://genspect.org/