mild gyne hormonal imbalance theory

[bomberman]

As I understand it, teens who develop gynecomastia are told to wait until after adolescence because they are usually caused by a hormonal imbalance. Once the hormonal imbalance has been corrected the breast tissue breaks down and their gyne disappears

So if gynecomastia in an adult is also caused by a hormone imbalance for example, would treating that imbalance lead to the body breaking down the breast tissue and correcting the gynecomastia as it would in an adolescent, and if not why???

I am 25 years old and have mild gyne, I remember going to the doctor about it when i was 14 and he said it would eventually go. but in the last year it has gotten worse. I suffer from mild depression, anxiety, tearfulness, iriitability, hopelessness, and other symptoms synonymous with a hormonal imbalance, not to mention the gyne itself, and i believe it has been brought on by years of intense stress and poor diet, drinking alcohol and not exercising. I am fairly skinny but have lots of fat on my stomach and hips and my chest

I am going to see my gp on monday after realising this is gyne and not just man boobs as i thought it was. I can feel hard lumps under both breasts and the left one is bigger than the right. Also my nipples are puffy

Even though it is fairly mild by some people's standards, it really affects me to the point that i am unemployed now and have been putting off going to job interviews, and i think it is causing my depression to worsen. I am hoping to god they will offer me surgery on the nhs as i cant afford it myself, though i know this is unlikely. I am also going to have my depression treated, though I dont want to take any pills.

What I'm really hoping is he will say it is a hormonal imbalance, take these pills and in 2 or 3 months they will disappear, though im sure he wont

Any thoughts on this would be great

[Litlriki]

The gynecomastia that develops during puberty is related to the fluctuating hormones that play a role in male sexual maturation, and as those hormones fluctuate, the testosterone:estrogen ratio will vary in such a way that at times, the tissue in the breasts is stimulated to grow.  95% of the time, pediatricians are correct to tell their patients that it will go away.  If the tissue is biopsied during that "active" period, the histologic description is termed "florid" gynecomastia, and there are glandular elements as well as a fibrous and fatty portion.  As hormonal balance is restored in the "adult male," the condition will resolve in most patients, but in some--possibly those with more persistent fibrous and fatty elements--it will not fully resolve, leaving the signature female-like appearance to the breast.  This may be limited to nipple puffiness, or it could be more extensive with a true feminine appearance. 

In your case, if the condition didn't resolve during puberty, and if you haven't taken medications that could cause further stimulation, you may indeed have some hormonal imbalance which is also responsible for your other complaints.  Restoration of hormonal balance may result in a halt to the worsening of your breast appearance and pain, but I don't know that it would reverse what was present from puberty. 

Similarly, most of your complaints sound like they're specific to depression, though I'm no expert on that.  I think that symptoms of depression are often associated with low testosterone, but low testosterone is not necessarily associated with all cases of depression.  You should treat your depression in any case, since that seems to be having a significant impact on your ability to function well in society.  Certainly, correcting your gynecomastia can give you a boost in self-esteem, but it will not cure depression. My fear, from reading your note, is that you might focus specifically on solving the gynecomastia problem in an effort to solve your depression, but that may not be the best approach.

I hope that's helpful.  Good luck,

Rick Silverman