Table 2.
Study outcome & rate |
Possible limitations | Follow-up time | Loss to follow-up (LTFO) |
Defn/how measured | Sample | Intervention/criteria | Ages, notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dhejne et al. (2014) Regret 2.2% (4.4% if require 10 yr follow-up, i.e., 1960–2000) |
Short min follow-up time, Definition of regret, Sample: older with different criteria for starting |
0–50 years |
From 1973 to 2003 8.3% dieda, (Full study sample 1960–2010) |
Apply for new legal sex/Record search |
252 FTM and 429 MTF living adults in Sweden who had applied for and received surgery + legal change |
Full surgery/2 year evaluation, sterilization before starting |
Median ages for all & for regretters when applied: 27 & 22 (FTM) 32 & 35 (MTF) At least 18 for new legal gender, minimum application 16 years old |
*Wiepjes et al. (2018) Regret < 1% |
Short min follow-up time, Unclear LTFO, Definition of regret, Search method |
Some ≤ 5 years (see Appendix for details of estimate) | 36% of everyone at clinic | Reverse hormones and express regret in visit/record search |
885 FTM and 1742 MTF who had surgery, treated with hormones at least 1.5 yrs, and who had not dropped out of treatment |
Gonadectomy/screening and diagnostic phase | At least 18 |
Davies et al. (2019) Detransition 0.47% |
Unknown follow-up time, Unknown LTFO, Search method, Sample: active clinic patients |
Unknown | Unknown | Records in 1 year period/Electronic record scan for words related to detransition or regret plus review by authors | 3398 active patients coming to gender clinic in 1 year period | All people in treatment at adult clinic/criteria unknown | Adults (adult clinic) |
Hall et al. (2021) Detransition 6.9%, another 3.4% pattern suggesting detransition |
Short follow-up time | 16 months after discharge | 3/175 unclear or transfer | Reverting to original role/retrospective case note review |
Natal female: 59 FTM, 8 NB Natal male: 101 MTF, 6 NB, 1 to detransition 175 discharged patients from single national clinic w/in 1 year who did not transfer to another clinic |
Mixed/2 assessments |
17 and over/1.7% suicides, 2.3% detrans then re-referred Median age at discharge: 20 FTM or NB 36 MTF or NB |
*Narayan et al. (2021) Regret 0.2–0.3% |
Unknown follow-up time, Unknown LTFO, Regret measure, Sample: encounters |
Unknown | Unknown | Express regret in encounter with surgeon/ask surgeons in survey about number of regret encounters | Between 18,125 and 27,325 patients which responding surgeons had operated on (regret encounters did not have to be former patient) | Surgery/criteria mixed |
Ages unknown/Rate is regret encounters/Total patients w/surgeries by responding surgeons 62 regretters |
Turban et al. (2021) Detransition 13.1% all, 9.1% hormones, 6.8% surgery |
Unknown follow-up time, Unknown LTFO, Sample: both required to still be TGNB and non- representativeb |
Unknown | Unknown | Self-described detransition/online convenience survey |
6289 FTM 7191 MTF 3671 other pursued gender affirmation and still identify as trans or non-binary |
Social, hormones, and/or surgery/criteria unknown |
11% under 18 when first started living as other gender, > 18 at time of study |
Boyd et al. (2022) Discontinue 20% Detransition 10% Regrets but trans 2.5% |
Unclear follow-up time | Unknown | N/A current patients | Discontinue hormones plus eval records/NHS medical records | 41 on hormones in GP practice population at regional clinic | Hormones or surgery/Some “affirmed” | Adults who detransitioned took testosterone for a mean of 18 months, presented at median age of 18/“not generalizable” |
Roberts et al., 2022 Discontinue ~ 30% |
Short follow-up time | 4 years | N/A | Discontinue hormones/Prescription renewals plus still in medical system |
627 FTM and 325 MTF who were still eligible for treatment within medical system and still went to it for other medical care |
Hormones/criteria unknown | 39.1% under 18 when started |
Tang et al. (2022) Regret 2/209 |
Short min follow-up time, Search method, Outcome measure |
Some < 1 year | 17/209 outcome not documented, 72/209 (34%) do not have at least 1 year follow-up in records | Regret mentioned to surgeon or MHP in system notes/record search | 209 patients still in medical system | Double mastectomy/Therapist assessment, surgeon informed consent, real life test for a year preferred | double mastectomy at ages 12–17, all FTM/Regretters at 11 months and 1.5 years |
van der Loos et al. (2022) Discontinue 2% |
Short min follow-up time |
Min, median time since started FTM 0, 2.3 yr MTF 0.1, 3.5 yr |
Appears to be 5/720, 3 of whom died | Discontinue prescription/Record search clinic plus insurance |
500 FTM 220 MTF |
3 month GnRHa and hormones/referred by physician and diagnosed with gender dysphoria |
All < 18 when started GnRHa, many became young adults by study end 0.4% died |
Jedrzejewski et al. (2023) Regret 0.3% |
Short min follow-up time, Unknown LTFO, Regret measure, Sample: encounters |
0 (to 1.4) to < 5.6 (to 7) yearsc | Unknown | Request for reversal surgery or encounter of clinic with detransitioner/Encounters at clinic | All 1989 patients operated on from Jan. 1, 2016 to July 31, 2021 | Surgery: varied, e.g., chest feminization or masculinization, orchiectomy, hysterectomy |
Initial consult mean age 24.5 years old (16–37) Rate: reversal requests or encounter with detransitioner/ total surgeries in same period 6 regretters |
*Study quoted in introduction as example of low regret or detransition rate
aDhejne et al. (2011)
bD’Angelo et al. (2021)
cThe regretters had their surgery in the time period January 2016–July 2021. It is not clear when follow-up ended, in principle it could have been any time from July 2021 to December 2022, the month before the paper appeared in January, 2023