Medical Detransition FAQ
Suggestions? Please message our subsaidit's moderators.
Disclaimer: We are not licensed or even trained to offer medical advice. We can only share our own experiences, which hopefully might help your individual situation.
We will update this page when we have more information. We encourage you to write or call the below facilities and individuals, and to write publicly about our needs as detransitioners. The more voices they hear, the more likely they'll reply.
How should I detransition my hormones (taper off, or cold turkey)? When should I expect _____ to change/reverse/return?
Please consult your primary doctor and an endocrine specialist. Whether you see someone with experience in transgender medicine, or if you prefer someone outside that circle of thought, is up to your own discretion.
Please feel free to search the s/detrans posts for previous questions that might have many answers ready for you to read. Please also feel free to post a new question for a possibly more personalized response.
Answers will vary greatly by age, genetic background, when you began transition, how long you transitioned, how you transitioned, etc. Detransition is unfortunately still largely a guessing game. Please be safe.
What options exist for surgical reversal/reconstruction/restoration? What about implants, transplants, stem-cell regeneration?
Please consult your primary doctor and any relevant specialists (plastic surgeons, OBGYNs, urologists, etc) you can find locally or globally. Whether you see someone with experience in transgender medicine, or if you prefer someone outside that circle of thought, is up to your own discretion.
Please feel free to search the s/detrans posts for previous questions that might have many answers ready for you to read. Please also feel free to post a new question for a possibly more personalized response.
Surgery is a big decision not to be taken lightly or quickly. Outcomes vary greatly, have no guarantees of satisfaction, have risks of nerve damage (permanent numbness), have risks of visible scars, have risks of further complications, may or may not be covered by insurance or government plans, may require travel, may require months of time off work, and may be very expensive.
The most available options for "reconstructive surgery" is implants of synthetic objects, such as silicone (a sort of rubbery plastic) or other materials. These are generally designed for appearance only. They cannot function as our original organic materials did. They may or may not feel real to outside hands. Lacking nerves, they very likely don't feel real from the inside. Whether the expense would be covered by your health plan varies greatly according to benefits and whether you're considered "transgender". Ask your healthcare provider and health plan provider.
Options for transplants are slim. While they have a greater change of functioning and feeling (both from the outside and inside) like the real parts we once had, such function or feeling can't be guaranteed. They are also largely considered to be "not medically necessary", and therefore many doctors don't even consider doing such transplants, and many health plans wouldn't cover the expense. The patient might need to find their own donor. The body could reject the transplant as foreign, which could require lifelong maintenance through certain pharmaceuticals that might bring new risks.
We moderators have searched the web for news of transplant doctors whose work might overlap detrans concerns (penis, testes, uterus, etc). These are some headline-making names in the field:
Baylor Scott & White Health (Texas):
- Kristin Posey Wallis BSN RNC-OB EFM
Belgrade Center for Genital Reconstructive Surgery (Serbia)
- Miroslav L Djordjevic MD PhD
Johns Hopkins Medicine (Maryland):
- Damon Sean Cooney MD PhD
- Richard James Redett III MD
- Richard Reddett
- Wei-Ping Andrew Lee MD
- Timothy J Nelson MD PhD
MGH Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (Massachusetts):
- Curtis Cetrulo
Stellenbosch University (South Africa):
- Alexander Erich Zühlke
- Amir David Zarrabi
- André van der Merwe
- Mohammed Rafique Moosa
- Zamira Keyser
Some doctors or their staff replied by email or phone. Dr Djordjevic replied with willingness to continue discussion, though there is a language barrier. More to come…
We have also looked into stem-cell regeneration (lab-grown organs). This technology is largely still in development, though there have been some breakthroughs and even trials. We've reached out to the following:
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (North Carolina):
- Anthony J Atala MD
- Hooman Sadri-Ardekani MD, PhD
Response has been kind but tepid.
Please consider writing or calling the above parties yourself, and let us all know what progress you make. The more we all ask for help, the sooner we'll receive it.
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