Ever heard of a health condition called gynecomastia? In fact, gynecomastia occurs when the glandular tissue in the male breast enlarges due to hormonal imbalance. While gynecomastia is harmless and often goes away on its own, its presence can make you feel uncomfortable, scared, or embarrassed. In some cases, gynecomastia is also a symptom of a more serious health disorder, you know! Therefore, there is no harm in learning about the various symptoms of gynecomastia, and seeing a doctor to get the right medical diagnosis if you think you have it. In addition, understand the various factors that can increase a person's risk of developing gynecomastia!
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Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms of Gynecomastia
Step 1. Identify the presence or absence of a soft lump in the breast
In true gynecomastia, glandular tissue will form in one or both breasts. The tissue may be located behind your nipple! Therefore, try to feel the breast with your fingertips. You should feel a soft, rubbery lump in one or both breasts when you have gynecomastia.
- If you find a lump in your breast, immediately consult a doctor! Be careful, lumps that are hard textured may be a tumor.
- Gynecomastia may occur in one or both breasts at the same time.
- The size of the lump varies greatly, and may be different in each breast. Generally, breast lumps in men who are going through puberty will be the size of a marble or a coin.
Step 2. Watch out for breast tenderness
Gynecomastia may make the breast feel painful to the touch or pressure. If the pain or discomfort that appears can no longer be tolerated, immediately see a doctor.
Step 3. Identify the presence or absence of soft fat tissue to detect pseudogynecomastia
True gynecomastia is very different from breast enlargement due to fat accumulation in the chest! If your breasts are enlarged and feel tender when pressed, but you don't notice any pain or lumps behind your nipples or in other areas of your breast, you most likely have pseudogynecomastia. This condition will generally go away on its own after you successfully lose weight.
In fact, being overweight can also promote the growth of gynecomastia, especially since fatty tissue tends to promote estrogen production in the body
Part 2 of 3: Getting a Medical Diagnosis
Step 1. Check with a doctor
If you think you have gynecomastia, see your doctor immediately. Although gynecomastia itself is harmless, it's still important to have it checked to make sure it's not a symptom of a more serious disease. In particular, see a doctor immediately if you experience any particularly troubling symptoms, such as:
- Pain and swelling in the breast. Both are common symptoms of gynecomastia, but may also be caused by a cyst or infection.
- Discharge from one or both breasts, which indicates a health problem such as breast cancer, breast tissue infection, or endocrine disorders.
- A hard lump in the breast, which indicates the potential for breast cancer.
Step 2. Consult your medical history with your doctor
In fact, doctors will find it easier to make a diagnosis if they have detailed information about your health history and your current health condition. Therefore, the doctor may ask for information about:
- Other symptoms you are experiencing.
- History of health problems in your family.
- Other medical problems you have had in the past.
- Medications, dietary supplements, or body care products that you take or use.
Step 3. Perform the various tests necessary to diagnose gynecomastia and other health disorders
Most likely, the doctor will perform various physical examinations to identify possible gynecomastia. If your doctor finds any gynecomastia symptoms in your body, they will likely carry out further tests to diagnose the cause and rule out the potential for more serious health problems. Some types of physical examination that may be done are:
- Mammography.
- Blood test.
- CT scan, MRI, or chest X-ray.
- Ultrasound of the testes.
- Biopsy of breast tissue, if the doctor suspects cancer cells are there.
Step 4. Discuss possible treatment options with your doctor
In most cases, gynecomastia will go away on its own over time. If that doesn't happen to you, or if the existence of gynecomastia is stressing you out, your doctor will likely recommend the following treatment methods:
- Hormone therapy to block estrogen production or encourage testosterone production in the body.
- Liposuction, a procedure to remove excess fat from the breast.
- Mastectomy, an operative procedure performed to remove glandular tissue in the breast.
- Your doctor may treat your gynecomastia by treating the underlying cause first. For example, if your gynecomastia is suspected to be caused by a testicular tumor, your doctor must first remove the tumor to treat gynecomastia and other symptoms that accompany it.
- Your doctor may also ask you to stop taking certain medications or change the dose of a drug that is suspected to be causing gynecomastia.
Part 3 of 3: Identifying the Risks of Gynecomastia
Step 1. Observe your medical history
Some men have a higher risk of developing gynecomastia. Therefore, consider your current age, your medical history, and your overall health condition. The risk of gynecomastia is actually increased in men who:
- Are going through puberty or are 50 to 69 years old. Also, understand that newborns can also develop gynecomastia, but the condition should go away on its own before the baby is a year old.
- Have a condition that affects the body's ability to produce testosterone, such as pituitary deficiency or Klinefelter syndrome.
- Have a liver disorder, such as cirrhosis or liver failure.
- Have a hyperactive thyroid gland.
- Experiencing the formation of certain tumors, especially those located in the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, or testes.
Step 2. Pay attention to the medications you are taking
In fact, some doctor's prescriptions can also trigger gynecomastia, you know! Chances are, your risk will increase if you take:
- Medicines to treat an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer.
- Anabolic steroids.
- Several types of AIDS drugs.
- Tricyclic antidepressants.
- Some types of anti-anxiety drugs, such as diazepam.
- Several types of antibiotics.
- Certain medications for the heart, such as digoxin.
- Medicines that affect gastric movement, such as metoclopramide.
Step 3. Identify the presence or absence of plant oils in the body care products used
Some oils derived from plants, such as lavender and tea tree oil, contain natural chemicals that resemble the hormone estrogen in the body. As a result, the use of these oils is at risk of triggering gynecomastia in men. To overcome this, always check the ingredients listed on the packaging of soap, shampoo, lotion, shaving cream, and other similar products to make sure there are no plant oils in them. Have you experienced it? Don't worry, gynecomastia caused by plant oils will actually go away once you stop using products that contain these oils.
Step 4. Identify the presence or absence of addiction to the use of illegal drugs
Illegal substances such as those contained in alcoholic beverages, marijuana, amphetamines, heroin, or methadone are at risk of triggering gynecomastia in men. If you are taking one or more of them and are concerned about the risk of gynecomastia or other health problems, contact your doctor immediately and discuss ways to stop using these drugs.
