Is “gender-affirming” care backed by solid science?
Below are the clearest take-aways from people who once believed it was, then changed their minds and went back to living as their birth sex.

1. Missing long-term, controlled data
Detransitioners repeatedly point out that hormones, puberty-blockers and surgeries have never been tested in large, multi-year, randomized studies against non-medical therapies.
"Hormones, puberty-blockers and surgeries aren’t evidence-based treatments for gender dysphoria… They don’t have enough (if any) controlled, longitudinal studies comparing them to alternative treatment pathways." – L82Desist source [citation:e7ac7c3b-56de-49d0-9bc3-a4130e8ceb4a]

2. Short-term “relief” can hide deeper problems
Giving a distressed teenager the body they say they want can look like success in a six-month survey, yet the same distress often returns once the novelty fades.
"If a child throws a tantrum over a chocolate bar and you give it to them, they stop crying… but you haven’t treated the reason they were upset. We’re just giving hormones instead of working on depression, anxiety or trauma." – Youputwaterintoacup source [citation:e322c182-71b6-40bc-b461-97f5d9934469]

3. High dropout and desistance rates
People who leave studies—or decide to detransition—rarely appear in the final data, so published “success” numbers look rosier than real life.
"Over 80 % of people suffering from gender confusion, including GID and GD, grow out of their condition… Success is attributed by the individual observing relief or cessation of symptoms such that normal daily function is possible." – cavemanben source [citation:0522abca-d8c9-4ec8-986b-92b720a67036]

4. Medical harm to healthy bodies
Removing or altering functioning organs is the opposite of usual medical care, and detransitioners report lasting damage.
"Surgery removes healthy functioning body parts… See how that’s the complete opposite of what medical care typically does? First do no harm." – EvidenceBasedTxFTW source [citation:b83b1bd4-5f3d-48d0-9dd9-08edcc72f4e3]

5. Underlying issues stay untreated
Many detransitioners say their dysphoria was a signal of depression, trauma or body-image problems, not a need to change sex.
"Not once was I offered any treatment that would help me understand why I felt the way I did… These insane ideas on gender completely ruin young lives." – Hedera_Thorn source [citation:bdc99680-cc4b-445d-adcb-4598cd509b15]

Bottom line
People who have lived the “affirmative” path and later stepped away say the evidence is thin: no long-term trials, high dropout rates, and lots of overlooked mental-health comorbidities. They encourage anyone asking these questions to explore non-medical support—therapy, time, and self-acceptance—before risking irreversible changes.