Hi doctors, I have gynecomastia, the puffy nipples kind. About 4 cms in diameter and I despise them. Can anyone tell me what may have caused them based on the history I'm providing below? I intend to visit and endocrinologist soon, my appointment is in 3 months, but that does not help my anxiety. Please give me some expert insight, do I have a big issue on my hand? Or could the reasons I listed be the culprit to blame for the development of this?
Anyhow I have about 3 leads, but none are foolproof and I don't completely buy them. What do you all think?
1.) Chronic dieting starting at 10 yo. I distinctly remember dieting to lose about 15 lbs prior to 6th grade to impress girls, being the naive and determine boy that I was, I took drastic measures. Skipping meals for about 2 months and sometimes starving myself throughout the day to lose weight. It worked and I lost weight. I skipped lunch for the first semester of 6th grade to save money, second semester of sixth grade I remember that I became more inhibited and more moody. I started wearing undershirts to conceal my chest some. 7th grade- my gyno got to the present state and I was overweight which made it look worse, I also was way more sensitive and self-conscious than ever at this point. I dieted again during the summer after 7th grade and lost some weight, prior to 9th grade I dropped about 40 lbs in 2 months, as a result I remember having a poorer mood that year and making less friends. 10th grade- (only year of HS I enjoyed) I worked out and began eating healthy and not skipping meals= Better mood, more friends, 3.7 GPA. Junior year- Started skipping lunch again and stuffing myself after school, I started feeling like shiite! I developed deep anxiety, brain fog, and I gained about 40 lbs during the school year. I found out just this year, that I have celiacs and I was experiencing the symptoms of this beginning of junior year. I lost weight again by the same old method during the summer before Senior year, I think I dropped about 10- 20 lbs I think. Fast forward to now, I'm 19 and I have dropped from 210 to 164; the right way may I add, my diet is nearly perfect and it is gluten free! I feel better, my thoughts feel sharp, I feel stronger and more endured. This all leads me to believe that my chronic dieting throughout my life has inhibited testosterone production in me, seeing how I feel fantastic now when eating right, but yet I still have these damn moobs.
2.) Genetics- My brother has gyno too, however, I think he has pseudo, not sure. Must be some correlation right? He's really self-conscious about it too, he also has low T (272 total), at 25 btw. My dad and me also gather fat in our stomach and lower back (symptoms of low T I believe).
3.) Celiacs? Maybe, could it have some correlation? I didn't develop the symptoms of this till 16 I think, but who knows, maybe I had a milder form of it when I was younger. Maybe the malnutrition of it played a part in suppressing testosterone.
4.) Medication- Not very likely, but maybe. I distinctly remember using a prescription hair loss foam when I was 10 because I had a bald spot on the top of my head. I'm not sure of the name of this product, I need to look into it.
Test Results:
Total Testosterone: 400
LH- 5.8
FSH- 2.0
I was scared that I had Klinefelters but after abundant hypochondriasis induced researching I think it's safe to rule this out. I have normal testis, and normal FSH and LH; the 2 most prevalent diagnosing criteria. I even visited a genetic counselor who told me that it's extremely unlikely, like less than a percent chance of having it due to aforementioned reasons. My testosterone is still somewhat low I fear, I think I might have effed it up with malnutrition; or maybe I do have a serious problem. Can anyone provide any insight on this. Thanks in advance guys.