Woman, 30, who lived as a trans man for 15 years after coming out aged 15 has ‘detransitioned’ after testosterone caused ‘nausea and heart palpitations’ – and says she’s ‘surprised’ by how easily she was given the hormone
- Cat Cattinson, from Santa Cruz, Northern California, grew up as a female
- The 30-year-old singer started to transition to become a man in March 2020
- But she began to feel nausea and heart palpitations when taking testosterone
- She chose to stop transitioning and stopped the injections in September 2020
A woman has detransitioned after identifying as a transgender man for 15 years – due to experiencing ‘nausea and heart palpitations when taking testosterone’.
Singer Cat Cattinson, 30, from Santa Cruz, Northern California, grew up as a female but identified as male from the age of 13.
She started to transition to become a man in March 2020 after spending years struggling with gender dysphoria; she took testosterone which saw her voice drop and she went by the name of Tony.
Cat had planned to have her breasts removed via surgery – but she soon began to feel nauseous and experience heart palpitations when taking the testosterone, which she was prescribed through Planned Parenthood.
As a singer, she was also worried she would lose her ‘high pitched’ voice, so she chose to stop transitioning and stopped the injections in September 2020.
It was then that she realized she was happier as a female – so she decided to fully detransition – and has since said she’s surprised by how quickly she was given testosterone, revealing it didn’t require any tests or therapy.
A woman who spent 15 years living as a transgender man has opened up about her decision to detransition after experiencing ‘nausea and heart palpitations when taking testosterone’. She is pictured left during her transition and right recently
Singer Cat Cattinson, 30, from Santa Cruz, Northern California, was born a female but identified as male from the age of 13 (pictured)
It took Cat a year to detransition and ‘look womanly’ again, but she is hoping she can continue singing now she has her voice back – despite it not being the same.
Cat said: ‘I always dressed in my dad’s clothes as a kid. I was a tomboy. I felt unsafe as a woman because of trauma as a child and I think this made me feel like I didn’t belong in this body.
‘I first realized it was possible to change your body when I was 13 and from then I was convinced I wanted to transition to become male. But when I finally transitioned and actually lived as a man it didn’t feel right.
‘At first I was happier about my raspy voice, but I started to get pain and nausea. Now I’m happy back in my female body.’
As a five-year-old Cat experienced a trauma that made her feel unsafe as a girl and she asked her parents if a sex change was possible.
‘I thought of myself as a boy after that,’ she said. ‘When I was a teen, I found forums talking about how it was possible to change sex. I felt then that I wanted to be a boy.’
Cat (pictured as a child) started her gender transition in March 2020 after spending years struggling with gender dysphoria; she took testosterone which saw her voice drop and she went by the name of Tony
Cat (pictured as a child) had planned to have her breasts removed via surgery – but she soon began to feel nauseous and experienced heart palpitations when taking testosterone
But when she first came out to her parents, aged 15, she was set back by their response.
‘They were concerned for me and said I wouldn’t have a good life as a man and that no one would take me seriously,’ Cat said.
Cat put her transition on hold and battled eating disorders and bullying.
‘I was constantly battling how I felt about my gender identity,’ she said. ‘I became a bit of closet trans man.’
But after years of feeling she’d tried everything else she made her mind up to officially come out as a transgender man and look into transitioning.
‘I felt like I’d never be happy as a woman,’ Cat said. ‘It was so easy to get testosterone – they didn’t require any tests or therapy. I was surprised at how quickly they gave it to me.’
As a singer, she was also worried she would lose her ‘high pitched’ voice, so she chose to stop transitioning and stopped the injections in September 2020. Cat pictured recently
It was then that she realized she was happier as a female – so she decided to fully detransition – and has since said she’s surprised by how quickly she was given testosterone, revealing it didn’t require any tests or therapy. Cat pictured recently
It took Cat (pictured transitioning) a year to detransition and ‘look womanly’ again, but she is hoping she can continue singing now she has her voice back – despite it not being the same
At first Cat was happy with the changes – her voice became raspier and deeper, and she began to lose definition from her breasts and became known as Tony.
‘I felt like I had to be transitioning so that I could pass as a man,’ she said. ‘But suddenly my voice dropped loads and I sounded like I’d been smoking all my life.
‘I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I’d been a singer all my life and I worried about what it would mean if I kept going.’
Cat also started to get some worrying side effects. ‘I was getting heart flutters and feeling sick all the time,’ she said. ‘The pain was blinding and getting worse and worse.
‘It was becoming painful to sing and I realized that I might never be able to again, so I stopped taking the testosterone.’
It took a year for Cat (pictured starting to transition back) to fully detransition back to a woman at the age of 30, despite only taking the injections for four months
Transitioning from female to male with testosterone: What does the hormone therapy do to the body?
The transition process is different for every person, with some transgender men choosing to undergo surgery in order to change their physical appearance, while others rely simply on hormone therapy – including testosterone – to create masculine characteristics.
According to Planned Parenthood, for many transgender people, the process often begins by taking several social steps, including coming out to friends and family, and asking people to refer to them by the pronouns that match their gender identity (him/he, her/she, they/them).
Going by a different name is also an important step for some, as is dressing in ways that better match your gender.
Medically, gender transitional typically begins with hormone therapy; in the case of transgender men, testosterone is used to create more masculine characteristics, such as:
- A deeper voice
- Facial hair growth
- Muscle growth
- The redistribution of fat away from the hips and breasts
Hormone therapy is also used to stop a transgender man from menstruating.
It took a year for Cat to fully detransition back to a woman at the age of 30, despite only taking the injections for four months.
‘I was bedridden because it was a big comedown from taking the testosterone every day,’ she said. ‘But now I’m happier with myself and my body and I’ve realized a lot of my feelings of wanting to be a boy stemmed from that trauma as a child.
‘My parents are now supportive and I know their reactions stemmed from worry for me. I’ve had to re-learn how to sing and my voice is still different, but I still have a love for music.’
Cat’s parents said: ‘We’re really proud of her. She’s continuing to move forward with her life and helping others.’
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