Skip to main content

What Is Gynecomastia?

 Gynecomastia Is Overdevelopment Of The Male Breast.

In response to too much estrogen (a female hormone) or too little testosterone (a male hormone), the glandular tissue of the breast swells and forms a breast bud (enlarged breast).


What Are The Symptoms Of Gynecomastia?


Women and young men with gynecomastia may also experience rubbery or firm breasts in addition to enlarged breasts. On one or both sides of the breast, boys may have a breast bud about the size of a nickel or quarter. Adolescent boys often develop breast buds during puberty. Usually, they go away within the first year, but may last for up to two years.


What Causes Gynecomastia?


In newborns, gynecomastia is caused by estrogen from the mother. Breast buds are common in baby boys. Breast buds tend to go away gradually by 6 months of age, but they can last longer in some babies.


In preteen boys, breast buds are common during puberty. The buds may last up to 2 years, but they tend to go away within the first year. Gynecomastia can also be caused by an estrogen-producing tumor.


In teen boys, gynecomastia is caused by the hormonal changes of puberty. Gynecomastia occurs in many boys during early puberty to middle puberty. It usually goes away within 6 months to 2 years.


Most adult males with gynecomastia suffer from another condition, such as liver or lung cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, excessive thyroid activity, or hormone disorders, such as cancer of the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, or testicles.


It is also possible to develop gynecomastia after using alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin. A change in hormone levels can lead to gynecomastia in older males.


Use of certain medicines may also cause gynecomastia, including:


~Steroids, such as prednisone or dexamethasone.

~Medicines used to treat ulcers (such as cimetidine).

~Medicines used to treat epilepsy (such as phenytoin [Dilantin]).

~Digitalis and other heart medicines.

Chemotherapy drugs, especially alkylating agents, a family of anticancer drugs that interfere with cell DNA and inhibit cancer cell growth

~Antiandrogen drugs (such as flutamide, cyproterone, and spironolactone).

~Antianxiety and antidepressant medicines (such as diazepam [Valium] and tricyclic antidepressants).



How Is Gynecomastia Diagnosed?


A physical exam and medical history are usually sufficient to diagnose gynecomastia. There is usually no need for tests in most cases. To exclude other problems, a biopsy may be necessary if the breast lump is unusually large, one-sided, tender, hard, or fixed.


The doctor should be notified if any of his close relatives (mother, sister, or daughter) suffer from breast cancer. A biopsy or surgery can be used to determine whether a lump is cancerous.


How Is Gynecomastia Treated?


Gynecomastia in babies and teens normally does not require treatment and will usually go away on its own. If it is caused by medicine or disease, stopping the medicine or treating the disease will often cure the gynecomastia.


  If it is caused by a lack of testosterone and increase in estrogen, hormonal treatment may be prescribed. Surgery may be a choice for some men if other treatments have not worked.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Early Signs of Hypothyroidism You Should Never Ignore

    Hypothyroidism, also known as underactive thyroid disease, is a condition where the thyroid gland, a small, butterfly-shaped organ located in your neck, doesn't produce and release enough thyroid hormones into your bloodstream. These thyroid hormones, primarily Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3), are crucial for regulating numerous bodily functions, including metabolism, heart function, digestion, body temperature, energy use, and brain development. When the thyroid gland is underactive, your metabolism slows down, leading to a cascade of symptoms. The symptoms of hypothyroidism often develop gradually, sometimes over years, making them easy to overlook or misattribute to normal aging or other conditions. However, recognizing these early signs is vital because if left untreated over long periods of time, hypothyroidism can become life-threatening , potentially leading to serious complications . Early diagnosis and treatment are the best ways to reduce your risk of ...
Read more

5 Reasons You Need To Start A Keto Diet

   Have you been thinking about starting a keto diet but didn't know how to start?  Or maybe you have been thinking about it for a while but are too afraid of the side effects? Well, fear no more! In this blog post, we are going to go through five of the best reasons why you should start your keto diet, and show you how easy it is.  Reason 1: Control Your Blood Sugar And Insulin Levels If you are someone who struggles with fluctuating blood sugar levels or insulin resistance, then the keto diet could be a good option for you. The keto diet is known for its ability to help stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels.  This is because the diet helps to promote a state of ketosis in the body, which helps to encourage the body to use fat for energy instead of glucose. By stabilizing your blood sugar and insulin levels, you can help to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes or other chronic health conditions. If you are looking for a way to help control your bl...
Read more

Sleep and Stress: How They Affect Your Health

  Most people think about diet and exercise when it comes to health. But if you’re constantly stressed and not sleeping well, even the cleanest meal plan or the toughest workout won’t deliver results. Sleep and stress are like invisible forces running the show — and when they’re out of balance, your health, energy, and mood take a hit. Understanding how sleep and stress affect your health could be the missing piece, whether you're a busy professional buried under deadlines, a young couple balancing professions and family planning, or a parent operating on fumes. Sleep and stress feed off each other in what’s called the sleep–stress cycle . One bad night’s sleep leaves your body stressed out the next day. Chronic stress keeps your brain wired at night, making it harder to sleep. It’s a vicious loop: poor sleep raises stress hormones, and high stress sabotages sleep. Left unchecked, this cycle drains your energy reserves, damages your immune system, and even shortens your lifespan. T...
Read more