Gender dysphoria is a condition where someone experiences distress due to a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. It is a diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. People with gender dysphoria often have a strong desire to change their physical characteristics to match their internal sense of gender. While some cases of gender dysphoria persist throughout one’s lifetime, other cases can resolve through various means. This article will explore the different factors that can contribute to gender dysphoria going away.
Transitioning
For many individuals with gender dysphoria, the act of transitioning to live as their authentic gender is what alleviates their dysphoria. Transitioning can involve:
Social transition
This involves changing one’s name, pronouns, clothing, and outward presentation to align with one’s gender identity. Being socially recognized as one’s correct gender can greatly reduce dysphoria and distress.
Medical transition
Steps may include:
- Taking hormones like estrogen or testosterone to induce secondary sex characteristics of one’s gender identity (breast growth, voice changes, etc.)
- Undergoing gender affirmation surgeries like top surgery, bottom surgery, facial feminization, etc.
For those who need it, medical transition allows physical traits to match one’s gender, thus alleviating physical dysphoria. In one study of 29 transgender youth who took puberty blockers and hormones, 100% reported improvement in their gender dysphoria.
Psychotherapy
For some individuals, regularly undergoing psychotherapy is enough to resolve their gender dysphoria. Therapy provides a space to explore one’s gender identity and can help people find ways to feel at home in their body. It may also help deal with any trauma, discrimination, or mental health issues that may be contributing to dysphoria.
In certain cases, therapy leads people to realize they are comfortable with their assigned gender. According to one study, 3.5% of patients at a transgender health clinic changed their minds after beginning the transition process. With counseling, they concluded their dysphoria had been due to other factors like trauma or mental health conditions.
Lifestyle changes
While medical and social transition are effective for many, others find relief through lifestyle changes:
- Adjusting gender expression through clothing, hairstyles, etc. This allows people to honor their identity without fully transitioning.
- Finding community and safe spaces to explore gender fluidity.
- Addressing issues like depression, anxiety, trauma that may aggravate dysphoria.
- Pursuing interests/hobbies that affirm one’s identity.
Such lifestyle tweaks allow people to embrace their gender diversity without totally transitioning or identifying as transgender.
Reduced gender dysphoria in children
Gender dysphoria manifesting in childhood does not always persist into adulthood. According to research:
- Childhood dysphoria persists into adulthood only about 12% of the time for natal males and 21% for natal females.
- 85% of children with gender dysphoria will not remain gender dysphoric after puberty.
Due to the fluidity of gender identity development, most gender diverse children do not remain dysphoric through puberty without medical treatment. However, children who do persist show much higher rates of transgender identification later on.
Strong indicators that childhood gender dysphoria will continue include:
- Intensity of dysphoria
- Persistence over time
- Incongruence between assigned gender and felt gender
- Gender non-conformity in preferences and behaviors
For children who do not meet these criteria, gender dysphoria often naturally dissipates as they age. However, supportive counseling is recommended to ensure healthy identity development.
Statistics on resolution of gender dysphoria
| Age dysphoria emerges | Cases resolved without medical treatment |
|---|---|
| Childhood | 85% |
| Puberty | 70% |
| Adulthood | Only 10% |
These statistics indicate the earlier gender dysphoria occurs, the more likely it is to resolve on its own over time. Dysphoria beginning in adulthood is unlikely to dissipate without medical steps to transition.
Should dysphoria be resolved, or affirmed?
The goal of supporting those with gender dysphoria should be reducing distress so they can live a fulfilling life. For some that means resolving their dysphoria and remaining in their assigned gender. For others it means affirming their inner identity. There is no one solution. Open, non-judgmental counseling and access to all options is ideal.
Conclusion
Gender dysphoria can be a distressing and challenging condition. While dysphoria often persists lifelong without transition, this is not always the case. Some key factors that may resolve feelings of dysphoria include:
- Transitioning socially and/or medically
- Undergoing psychotherapy
- Making lifestyle changes and exploring gender fluidity
- Maturing out of childhood dysphoria during adolescence.
There is no one answer or timeline that works for everyone. Affirming all gender exploration while providing compassionate support is the best practice. This allows individuals to find the path that alleviates dysphoria and allows them to live authentically and fully.