There is a transgender therapist & researcher named Anne M. Vitale, Ph.D. She wrote a book titled: The Gendered Self: Further Commentary on the Transsexual Phenomenon, Flyfisher Press, 2010. (By the way, this is a wonderful book for older MtF transgender individuals to read. It explains SO much!)

One of the aspects of the transgender experience that Dr. Vitale talks about is that there is a continuum of transgenderedness. It's not all or nothing. Some children are born knowing absolutely that they were born the wrong gender. They have no doubts in their minds. Some individuals are only mildly trans. They may not need to transition at all. They may be satisfied to simply tweak their wardrobe & personal appearance a bit.

Then there are those who fall more-or-less in the middle. They are torn both directions. These are the individuals who experience the worst anguish. And I think this may explain the de-transitioning phenomenon. For some individuals, there is simply so much confusion surrounding gender identity, that neither living in the individual's assigned birth gender, nor transitioning to the opposite gender, brings peace. Hopefully as society becomes more accepting of, & knowledgeable about, the transgender phenomenon transgender persons will grow up with less anguish & confusion.