Hello everyone. I will be talking about detransitioning (as in going from being to going back to your assigned at birth) and evidence showing it is rarer than people think. I will note there is not much data on this topic, and many of them have poor methodology that results in overinflation of figures (which I will be talking about at the end). But without further ado, here are some studies I could find on this topic (any other resources you can find on the topic please PM at u/Albamc35):

Use sci-hub to get full articles without paywall. I won’t link the website since the link always changes, but search sci-hub on your search engine and it should come up.

Trans Kids

Using information from the Australian Court, 96% of all patients who were assessed and received a diagnosis of by the 5th intervenor (the Royal Children's Hospital) from 2003 to 2017 continued to identify as transgender or gender diverse into late adolescence. No patient who had commenced stage 2 treatment had sought to transition back to their birth assigned .

A summarisation on all people treated in Amsterdam from 1972 up to 2015, which treats more than 95% of the transgender population in the Netherlands, found that out of those referred to the clinic in before the age of 18 and treated with puberty blockers, 4 out of 207 trans girls (2%) stopped puberty suppression without proceeding to HRT and 2 out of 370 trans boys (less than 1%) stopped puberty suppression without proceeding to HRT

A study of 143 youth receiving puberty-blocking medication in the Netherlands found that 3.5% chose to discontinue puberty blockers without seeking any further transition treatment.

A William's Institute report finds that there is no significant difference between the number of trans teens and the number of trans adults (0.7% and 0.6% respectively). The slight decrease in the older age groups could be down to rejection from peers, as older generations are much less likely to support trans rights than younger people.

Also, trans kids are not ‘going through a phase.’ First of all, an article from a magazine from the American Academy of Pediatrics mentions how that by age 4, children have ‘stable sense of their .’ And a study on trans and cis kids (citied in this Forbes article) found gender identity — the concept of knowing whether one’s self is male, female or non-binary — is as strong in trans kids as it is among those identifying as cis. Similar results are found in this study. A study on brain scans of young trans people found brain activity and structure in transgender adolescents more closely resembles the typical activation patterns of their desired gender.

General Detransition

A study on detransition rates in a national UK Gender Identity Clinic (P139) found out that of the 3398 patients who had appointments during this period, 16 (0.47%) expressed transition-related regret or de-transitioned. Of these 16, one patient expressed regret but was not considering detransitioning, two had expressed regret and were considering detransitioning, three had detransitioned, and ten had detransitioned temporarily.

The reasons stated by patients for their regret or detransition included: social factors, reporting physical complications, and changing their mind about their gender identity and identifying as their gender assigned at birth, which shows that of that minority, alot were not due to releasing they are not trans

A transgender mental health survey in the UK (P66-67) found in terms of social changes that they had made in relation to being trans or transitioning, only 9% had significant regrets. In regards to the physical changes of being trans, only 2% having major regrets. Remember that regrets =/= detransition though

A massive survey of trans people in the (P111) found that even including people who only temporarily detransition either socially or medical (or both), only 8% of respondents reported having de-transitioned at some point.

Of these “detransitioners,” only 5% did it because they realized it was not for them, accounting for a mere 0.4% of the overall sample.

And even then, 62% of those who had de-transitioned reported that they were currently living full time in a gender different than the gender they were thought to be at birth.

“The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) is the largest survey examining the experiences of transgender people in the United States, with 27,715 respondents from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. military bases overseas”

Sex Reassigment Detransition

A study on people who went through in the Netherlands found that of 162 trans adults, only 1 reported they would choose not to transition again. Another had some regrets but would choose to transition again (0.6% regret rate)

An analysis of all applications for sex reassignment surgery in Sweden found that of people undergoing SRS, regret was about 2.2% and there was a signifcant decline of regret over time

In this international survey of 46 surgeons (67% of providers have been in practice for greater than 10 years) they were asked to select a range representing the number of transgender patients they have surgically treated, and this amounted to a cumulative number of approximately 22,725 patients treated by the cohort.

49% of respondents had never encountered a patient who regretted their gender transition or were seeking detransition care. 12 providers encountered 1 patient with regret and the rest encountered more than one patient. This amounted to a total of 62 patients. There were 13 patients who regretted chest surgery and 45 patients who regretted genital surgery.

Overall, only 22 patients (0.1% of the sample) detransitioned because of a change in gender identity

A study on 232 trans women who were operated by the same surgeon 'using a consistent technique' found that none reported outright regret and only a few expressed even occasional regret. Dissatisfaction was most strongly associated with unsatisfactory physical and functional results of surgery.

An international study on people who trans related found that postoperative satisfaction was 94% to 100%, depending on the type of surgery performed. Only eight (6%) of the participants reported dissatisfaction and/or regret.

A study in Belgium of people who underwent SRS found none of the patients regretted their surgery.

A study of 218 patients in Sweden found only 3.8% had regretted it. The study also notes that support from family and friends is a huge factor in reducing regret.

A study on 66 patients found none of the present patients claimed to regret their decision to undergo gender-transformation surgery.

A meta analysis of studies found 20 MTF and 5 FTM regretted transitioning due to gender identity. According to this study that mentions this (P4), there were 1000-1600 MTF and 400-550 FTM patients, which equates to regret rates of <1% for FTMs and 1-1.5% for MTFs.

Ultimately, detransition is much rarer than a lot of people say, and even then, a big chunk of people (probably most) who regret transition/detransition do not do it due to a realization that they are not trans. And again, a big chunk of those who detransitioned only do so temporarily.

So what is wrong with previous studies?

I will be talking about the studies on trans kids, which are the most quoted I have seen. One recent example of quotation is in JK Rowling's essay:

“I want to be very clear here: I know transition will be a solution for some gender dysphoric people, although I’m also aware through extensive research that studies have consistently shown that between 60-90% of gender dysphoric teens will grow out of their dysphoria.”

But there are a number of faws with these studies:

An analysis of 3 of these studies found this (I'm quoting, and it's a long quote): “The 3 largest and most-cited studies have reported on the adolescent or adult gender identities of cohorts who had, in childhood, showed gender “atypical” patterns of behavior. Of those who could be followed up, a minority were transgender: 1 of 44, 9 of 45, and 21 of 54. Most of the remaining children later identifed as , , or bisexual (although a small number also was heterosexual).

However, close inspection of these studies suggests that most children in these studies were not transgender to begin with. In 2 studies, a large minority (40 and 25) of the children did not meet the criteria for GID to start with, suggesting they were not transgender (because transgender children would meet the criteria). Further, even those who met the GID diagnostic criteria were rarely transgender. Binary transgender children (the focus of this discussion) insist that they are the “opposite” sex, but most children with GID/GD do not. In fact, the DSM-III-R directly stated that true insistence by a boy that he is a girl occurs “rarely” even in those meeting that criterion, a point others have made. When directly asked what their gender is, more than 90% of children with GID in these clinics reported an answer that aligned with their natal sex, the clearest evidence that most did not see themselves as transgender.

We know less about the identities of the children in the third study, but the recruitment letters specifcally requested boys who made “statements of wanting to be a girl” (p. 12), with no mention of insisting they were girls. Barring evidence that the children in these studies were claiming an “opposite” gender identity in childhood, these studies are agnostic about the persistence of an “opposite” gender identity into adulthood. Instead, they show that most children who behave in gender counter-stereotypic ways in childhood are not likely to be transgender adults.”

This analysis of 4 of these studies found methodological, theoretical, ethical, and interpretive concerns regarding four “desistance” studies are presented. Here is their breakdown:

Methodological Concerns

1. the potential misclassification of child research participants

2. the lack of acknowledgement of social context for research participants

3. the age of participants at follow-up

4. the potential misclassification of adolescent and young adult participants lost to follow-up

Theoretical Concerns

1. assumptions inherent in“desistance”terminology

2. binary gender framework

3. presumption of gender stability as a positive outcome Ethical Concerns

1. intensive treatment and testing of child participants

2. questionable goals of treatment

3. lack of consideration of children’s autonomy

Interpretive Concerns

1. the assumption that unknown future adult needs should supersede known childhood needs

2. the underestimation of harm when attempting to delay or defer transition

Here are the conclusions from this presentation from a WPATH conference (which is a reputable organization on gender dysphoria), which criticizes some of those studies:

1. Evidence from these studies suggests that the majority of gender nonconforming children are not gender dysphoric adolescents or adults.

2. It does not support the stereotype that most children who are actually gender dysphoric will “desist” in their gender identities before adolescence.

3. These studies do acknowledge that intense anatomic dysphoria in childhood may be associated with persistent gender dysphoria and persistent gender identity through adolescence.

4. Speculation that allowing childhood social transition traps youth in roles that are incongruent with their identities is not supported by evidence.

5. These studies fail to examine the diagnostic value of Real Life Experience in congruent gender roles for gender dysphoric children.

I'll also leave some news articles that you can look at about those poor studies and this topic in general for further reading (most reference some of the studies I have talked about): https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/441784/the-controversial-research-on-desistance-in-trans gender-youth https://www.vox.com/2016/8/9/12404246/transgender-children-detransitioning- https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/media-s-detransition-narrative-fueling-misconce ptions-trans-advocates-say-n1102686 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/myths-about-transition-regrets_b_6160626 https://www.insider.com/jk-rowling-says-explosion-of-young-women-have-transitioned-detra nsitioned-2020-6 https://nationalpost.com/news/cbc-orders-last-minute-cancellation-of--documentary-tha t-activists-say-is-transphobic https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/10/07/mermaids-transgender-anti-trans-press-coverage- sky-news-mail-sunday/ https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gender_transition#The_Myth_of_High_Detransition_Rates https://www.vox.com/2018/10/22/18009020/transgender-children-teens-transition-detransit ion-puberty-blocking-medication https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-end-of-the-desistance_b_8903690

Why am I talking about this?

Trans people are one of the most oppressed groups in society today. An EU survey found that 46% felt discriminated against or harassed within the past year for being trans, 29% felt discriminated against when it came to looking for employment, 70% hid being trans during schooling before becoming 18 years old, and 55% had an incident of violence within the past year in part or whole because of them being trans. A UK survey found similar results.

Because of this, this contributes to a whole host of mental health issues. Suicide attempt rates in trans people are thought to be anywhere from 32% to 50%. And this kind of misinformation is a key factor in this discrimination and ultimatly these huge mental health problems.

Debunking this kind of misinformation and accepting trans people for who they are can really make a difference. One of the key factors in a trans person’s mental welbeing is family support, with family rejection being tied to drug use, suicide, and other things. But family acceptance (which includes acceptance of gender identity) has huge benefits for a trans person. One of the most remarkable is data from Trans PULSE (a subsidiary of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research), which found that strong parental support decreases the likelihood of a suicide attempt within the past year from 57% to just 4%.

Hell, even just chosen name usage is associated with lower depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior.

My point is that this kind of misinformation really does hurt trans people, and it is very important to debunk it. I really hope you learned something and I hope I have managed to change a few minds.