Does gynecomastia affect muscle growth?

[chrisf22]

Hello,
I'm 22 years old and I have had a lump under each nipple since I was 13 years old. I'm 5'9 and weight 145 lbs. There are times, like the beginning of the new year, when I want to go hit the gym and put some muscle on my skinny frame. However, I hardly get results compared to the friends I work out with and we all eat enough calories and  we train hard. Thus, I started considering, what if it was my hormones that wasn't allowing me to increase my muscle mass. 
So now my question: Can gynecomastia affect muscle growth? I know that gynecomastia arises from increased estrogen, thus, does that mean it's harder to gain muscle? If so, would natural testosterone boosters help? anti-estrogens? gynecomastia medication? 

[Paa_Paw]

We are all different.  I was never big on upper body strength,  but for some reason I had fantastic endurance.  I have a larger than usual lung capacity, which has been an asset for a person who likes to hike and climb at high elevations. I have been known to hike for days under a pack that I could not pick up and put on unaided.  It is a compromise of sorts, The breasts do not look as large on a 48 inch chest.  They would no doubt look a lot bigger if I had a chest 10 or 12 inches smaller.   

[DrPensler]

There are many causes of gynecomastia however the most common diagnosis I see is idiopatheic gynecomastia.By definition the reason for the development of gynecomastia in these cases is unknow. So your theory that you have increased estrogen production is unlikely in your case.There are a number of different body types and they all respond differently to exercise. Ingestion of anabolic steroids has significant adverse health effects particularly when done not under the guidance of a physician..

[Litlriki]

We are all victims of our metabolic situation, and many men at age 22 can't put on much muscle in spite of what seems like adequate training and nutrition.  Such "hardgainers" are often lean and find it easy to stay lean, but adding muscle is much more challenging.  Alternatively, the guys who can add the weight easily may struggle more with diet to get lean.  Trial and error with your training regimen and nutritional support are of far greater importance to your results than most of the over-the-counter supplements.  Use of testosterone boosters, pro-hormones, or anabolic steroids could worsen your gynecomastia and have other health impacts.  These are "supplements" which are minimally regulated, as opposed to drugs, which are highly monitored and regulated.  So side-effects can be significant.  Gynecomastia specifically will not affect muscle growth.