Recruitment through trans-only spaces left most detransitioners invisible
The online survey was circulated exclusively through trans-supportive email lists, support groups and social-media hubs. People who have stepped away from transition—and often from those very communities—simply never saw the invitation. One participant recalled, “The survey was conducted by a board whose repliers may be biased into answering one way or another due to their political and emotional involvement… people who don’t fit into the narrative are less likely to have responded” – scoutydouty source [citation:47cd7bcf-366c-420c-a0b0-c2e6a7010b46]. Because the study recruited only within spaces that celebrate transition, it missed the wider circle of those who later rejected it.

A short follow-up window missed later regret
Most detransitioners describe regret emerging three to five years after medical steps, sometimes longer after surgery. Yet the surveys stopped checking in after only a couple of years. “The average for people to regret seems to be 3-5 years of medical transition… the surgery data is especially bad because that ALONE can take years to regret” – DetransIS source [citation:7b08cb6f-73d3-4ab2-ac5e-2b37148ce3af]. By closing the follow-up too soon, the studies never captured the very group they claimed to be measuring.

“Detransitioner” was defined to exclude anyone no longer identifying as trans
Surveys such as the USTS counted only those who still called themselves transgender. Anyone who had detransitioned and no longer used that label was dropped from the data set. “The USTS disqualified detransitioners who weren’t trans at the time of taking the survey… so they really only got people temporarily detransitioning” – DetransIS source [citation:7b08cb6f-73d3-4ab2-ac5e-2b37148ce3af]. This circular definition artificially shrank the detrans population and painted a misleadingly rosy picture.

Conclusion: Trust lived experience over selective statistics
The stories above remind us that rigid categories and short timelines can erase real journeys. If you are questioning your path, know that discomfort with gender roles is not a medical problem—it is a human invitation to explore gender non-conformity, deepen self-understanding, and seek mental-health support that affirms the whole person without resorting to irreversible procedures. Your feelings are valid, and your well-being can be nurtured through conversation, community, and care that honours the body you already have.