had my physical today.

[pe175]

Well today I had my physical and the doctor asked me if i had any concerns.  I told him I would like to have my hormones tested because i thought I had gyno.  He said he would do some tests including hormones, cholestrol, thyroid and some others.  I don't know exactly.  I told him I did some research online about it and was just curious what he could tell me.  He's basically told me what I already knew.  I said I also knew it could be caused by steroids however I've never done them.  I also asked about tamoxifen and nolvadex.  He didn't know abou nolvadex but said tamoxifen was for women with cancer and said he has never prescribed it.  

What kind of irritated me was the fact that I felt like I was being blown off.  He didn't prescribe me anything, and didn't even tell me whether or not he thought I had gyno.  I will admit that I am pretty muscular because I'm dedicated to keeping my BF low and have good definition.  My gyno is probably a low to mild case.  Basically just puffy nipples, however it still bothers me a lot.  He also told me that he didn't think my estrogen levels would be too high because I don't have many female characteristics.  

So I basically left unsatisfied, however maybe he's going to offer me more advice once my bloodwork comes in.

He didn't even tell me whether I should continue my working out etc.  He did say that I looked bigger (musuclar) since I've last seen him.  Other then that, no advice, nothing.

[vaio]

He's got to wait for the test results to come back first. If something is off(hormone level), than he may refer you to an endocrinologist who will prescribe you a medicine.

If there is nothing from the tests, he may still refer you to an endocrinologist, or he may just refer you to a plastic surgery, or he may just tell you it will go away.

[hypo]

He sounds like a general physician who doesn't know too much I’m afraid.

Nolvadex is Tamoxifen; it is the original brand name as released by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

It is not only prescribed to women, its primary license is for the treatment of breast cancer, which is usually but not always women and it is also sometimes used in men by endocrinologists to lower high estradiol levels.

Forgetting about that;

I do not think you should have your hormones tested by your gp, I think you should get them tested by someone who really knows what they are doing and that means an endocrinologist who specializes in reproductive issues.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) states in their guidelines on low testosterone quote 'The recognition, evaluation, and treatment of hypogonadism in the male patient are often dismissed by the patient and overlooked by the physician.
Unquote

Now of course we do not know what your situation is and I am not saying that you suffer from low testosterone, but what I am saying is that you are interested in having your hormones tested and the AACE state that general physicians often overlook problems with hormones.

I spoke to a guy yesterday on this site whose general physician forgot to tell him for a whole year that he had a low testosterone level.

If you tell me where you live I’ll get contact numbers for good endocrinologists where you live and that way you can see someone who knows what they are doing.

I don't know how old you are but I guess that would either be something you can act on yourself or pass on to a family member to act on.

[Spleen]

A mild case of puffy nips wouldn't, and probably ought not, set off alarms in a Docs head.  Mild gynecomastia is not terribly uncommon and doesn't, by itself, indicate any kind of illness.  If he's running blood work then chill and wait for the results.  

To me it sounds like your more concerned about your appearance than you are about the gyne being an indicator of some kind of illness.  As long as your tests come back OK, which is more likely than not, then you can talk to him about resolving your appearance, or your feelings about your appearance.  Good luck!

[hypo]

The odds are every time a new person has a hormone test, the person being tested won't have a hormone problem.

But given that 10% of gynecomastia sufferers will have a hormone problem, isn't it worth making sure that the person viewing the pathology knows what they are doing?

The whole point is that there is a history of general physicians running the wrong tests or misinterpreting the results to the cost of patients.

Hence the conclusion statement from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in the 2002 guidelines for hypogonadism.

Of course alarms are not going off, but why should alarms have to go off in order for anyone (pe175 included) to get the 'right care' when it comes to this issue?

Quite frankly the day when general physicians give up testing hormones and refer all patients to endocrinologists (hormone experts) the better.

The only time a general physician should be involved really is perhaps with the help of the maintenance of hormone therapy (and similar issues) between visits to more qualified endocrinologists- to facilitate good care.



 

[pe175]

Yeah, it isn't a severe case however it still makes me self conscious.  Especially when people come up to me and pinch my nipple.  I have always had them, however I think they are becoming much more noticeable now because I have been working out a lot more.  My doctor said that would cause me to notice them more.

I'll let everyone know what the results are with the blood work.