A 40-Year Experiment with No Map
The people who began estrogen in their teens or early twenties are the first large group in history to do so. “We have never seen this many people under 25 starting on cross-sex hormones… There is no data. This is a massive experiment.” – Drgypsy source [citation:bad77b88-754e-4dc7-be69-beb2f29cac5f]
Because the oldest members of this birth-cohort are still only in their late twenties, no one yet knows what four decades of estrogen will do to a male body. The absence of long-term evidence means every prescription is, in effect, a step into the unknown.

Sharply Higher Risks of Stroke, Heart Attack and Blood Clots
Within the first seven years, the danger of life-threatening clots rises quickly. “The risks spike at a 7-year mark and it’s quite dramatic… the FDA put a huge warning on estrogen for women and doctors stopped prescribing it.” – ConnectPen source [citation:7df3632b-cc34-4f97-8f0c-4d450fb8753b]
Multiple detransitioners report that males on estrogen face higher stroke and heart-attack rates than biological females, and that these events can be disabling or fatal.

Permanent Changes to Sexual and Reproductive Health
Long-term estrogen use can leave the body altered in ways that cannot be reversed. “Estrogen with testosterone suppression causes irreversible damage… impotence, no sex drive, testicular atrophy.” – GCMadamXX source [citation:c4ee91be-fe9c-4eac-bb07-f1625164a3aa]
Some also describe increased lifetime risk of breast and other hormone-sensitive cancers, compounding the physical loss of fertility and sexual function.

Auto-Immune Illnesses and Bone Loss
Beyond cardiovascular harm, users report new diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune disorders, as well as early osteoporosis. “Longer-term use can result in serious medical issues such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular events, and those are very hard to undo, if at all.” – Liminal_exp source [citation:41b676d6-20fa-4d9e-83af-98ebba41591a]

A Compassionate Way Forward
The stories shared by detransitioners remind us that distress about gender roles is real, but the body is not the problem—rigid stereotypes are. Choosing gender non-conformity—living, dressing, and expressing yourself in ways that feel right without medical intervention—offers a path to authenticity that keeps every future option open. If you are struggling, reach out to a therapist who supports non-medical approaches, build a community that values you as you are, and give yourself the time and space to grow into the person you already are, free from the pressure to change your body.