hormone thought

[Preds]

What if you have an hormone imbalance like low testosterone.  What would make gyne grow back?  If having a low level caused it to grow ,,,,why would it ever stop?

[Screw_Gyne_408]

great question! i was going to ask that same question. iHurry someone please write back.

[nukem2k5]

If you had surgery but still had low testosterone levels, then the mere presence of any gland would make one vulnerable to regrowth.  I believe the hormone problem would need to be treated before surgery.

This is true.  I discussed my gyne with an endocrinologist before surgery, which included blood tests.

[Hypo-is-here]

No one can guarantee that all the gland has been removed in surgery, no surgeon can do that, unless you had a full mastectomy- but you wouldn't want that would you  

Most surgeons will want to leave some gland behind so that the chest looks natural. More importantly most surgeons are worried that removing too much gland will cause a deformation of the chest.

So most surgeons will leave some gland behind.

And coming to the important part;

ANY underlying cause can result in re-development of gynecomastia post surgery if there is any glandular material left that can be acted upon (unless the vascular changes prevent this from happening).

So that means any of the following can and do result in gynecomastia re-development for some people;

Underlying hypogonadism (low testosterone )
Underlying hypogonadism (low dihydrotestosterone)
Underlying high estrogen status
Underlying/various liver conditions
Underlying renal disease
Underlying hypothyroidism
Underlying hyperthyroidism
Underlying Hemochromatosis
Underlying Klinefelters Syndrome
Underlying Kallman Syndrome
Underlying chromosomal mosaics defects
Underlying partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS)
Underlying 5-alpha reductase deficiency
Excess Aromatase conditions
Underlying testicular tumor
Underlying Breast cancer

Any other condition not mentioned above that adversely affects the Androgen or Estrogen receptors from a male point of view.

And any medication that is having a causative effect.

The above is why it is so important to see and rule out causative conditions and medications with an endocrinologist that has an interest in reproductive endocrinology prior to seeing a plastic/breast surgeon.

All said and done gynecomastia re-development is far less likely to happen to those whose gynecomastia has been stable for many years, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

[Preds]

[quote author=Hypo-is-here

All said and done gynecomastia re-development is far less likely to happen to those whose gynecomastia has been stable for many years, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

That part makes since.  I had gyne for 20 plus years.  A little worse last few years but only due to gaining some weight.  Doc said I had 90% fat and 10% gland.

I had low testosterone a little over a year ago.  My doc tested me before I went on diet pills.  He actually put me on androgel to boost up testosterone to aid in weight loss.  Not bragging but my wife said she did not see how testosterone was low since I was always interested in her and sex.  lol.  Finished androgel last summer.  Wonder if I should go see him again or endocrinologist and see if I need to stay on it or leave it alone.  I sure don't want it to come back but Hypo you were thinking like me, if it has been a few years then looks like my body would have adjusted by now.


























[/quote]

[Hypo-is-here]

Preds,

I must say a lot of what you have had to say greatly concerns me, I mean in regard to your situation.

If you had low testosterone, your doctor should have investigated the cause, he should have asked "why does this man have low testosterone?”

He should have dynamically tested your HPTA Hypothalamic-Pituitary Testicular-Axis and you should have had a scan of the pituitary.

In doing this a cause for the low testosterone could have been found/elucidated.

As it stands I am assuming that a cause of the low testosterone has not been investigated or found?

That is the first part of my concern.

The second is that you were put on androgel without full investigations and then taken off of it.

If you have low testosterone and you are put on any form of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) it WILL suppress your own testosterone production.

On NO account will it EVER lead to an increase in your bodies own production of testosterone.  This does NOT happen and NEVER will happen with ANYONE- EVER!

It is simply NOT how the body/endocrine system works!

For this reason I find it very difficult to believe that your testosterone level would spontaneously increase, certainly Androgel could NOT cause this.

If testosterone was lowered by medication(s) that you have subsequently come off, that could account for a subsequent increase in testosterone, other than that well it could make sense if you were still going through puberty but other than that it is a very unlikely event.

If neither of the above fits the bill and even if the medication possibly fits the bill, I would STRONGLY suggest having this re-tested to ensure no mistake has been made.

Putting a grown man on TRT and then withdrawing it could only have increased your gynecomastia.  In fact it is the perfect recipe for increasing gynecomastia in any man.

I say this because when TRT was withdrawn your own bodies (endogenous) production of testosterone would have been heavily suppressed by the external (exogenous) TRT, with GnRH and LH being very low.

However because you were previously on TRT your estradiol would have increased with Androgel.  This is  detailed by the pharmaceutical company that distributes Androgel in Europe (Schering).

Upon removal of TRT you would have been left for a period of around three weeks with very low testosterone (much lower than prior to TRT) and elevated estradiol.

I would not be surprised if during the first three weeks of coming off TRT if you didn’t suffer from any of the following;

Lowered libido
Erection difficulties
Joint/back pain
Gynecomastia
Nervousness/irritation
Low mood
Poor concentration
Fatigue

If you did not all I can say is you are very fortunate.

The last of my concerns is that your doctor has told you the percentage of gland and the percentage of fat that makes up your gynecomastia.

According to top surgeons the only way they know whether gynecomastia is gland or fat is when they have it in their hand having cut it out.  This is because some gland can appear like fat being diffuse and intertwined with fat and some fat can appear as gland.

If you ask Dr Bermant about this he will confirm what I have said.

Given many of the things your doctor has said and done I would seriously doubt there competency and would wonder if they specialize in these issues at all (very doubtful).

I apologize for having to say all of this, I know it is something you that you would rather not have heard.  Truth be told I would rather not have had to say it and have=ing done so fear that you may shoot the messenger  

But I said it because I would feel worse not telling you the truth about it and you suffering in any way as a result.

I hope you can get in touch with a good endocrinologist who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and they can asses your situation properly.

If you need help obtaining the details of a good doctor I can help you with that if you want.

If you want to be left alone and not discuss this any further I understand.

P.S

The best outcome from my perspective would be if you got your health checked out by an expert and you thought I was a pain in the ass because it showed nothing was the matter…….rather that than anything like gynecomastia-recurrence however remote.

[Preds]

Hypo
Thanks for reply.  I accidently left out that PS is not doc that did nlood test or put me on androgel.  Gyne might have slightly got worse during administration but not much.  Already was bad enough.  NEVER had low labido.  Not braging but always up for the occasion.  Did notice erections were different while on it though.  FAtique is really only symptom you listed but that is normal for me.  The doc that put me on it did it for weight loss assistance.  It did raise my testosterone levels while taking it but anyway, he never did any test to discover why it was low.  My main concern now is to prevent reacurance of gyne..,  I got rid of the crap $5000 later and do not wish it on my enemies.  I really doubt it would return due to low testosterone only or it would have kept growing.  However, I might just see an endocrinologist just to see if there is something I need to do.  Thanks for info.

[kicka]

I have this problem and i have been put on test which they say could cure the gyne anyway but if it doesnt i will have to have the op (which i want) it will grow back if left untreated

[Hypo-is-here]

Hypo
Thanks for reply.  I accidently left out that PS is not doc that did nlood test or put me on androgel.  Gyne might have slightly got worse during administration but not much.  Already was bad enough.  NEVER had low labido.  Not braging but always up for the occasion.  Did notice erections were different while on it though.  FAtique is really only symptom you listed but that is normal for me.  The doc that put me on it did it for weight loss assistance.  It did raise my testosterone levels while taking it but anyway, he never did any test to discover why it was low.  My main concern now is to prevent reacurance of gyne..,  I got rid of the crap $5000 later and do not wish it on my enemies.  I really doubt it would return due to low testosterone only or it would have kept growing.  However, I might just see an endocrinologist just to see if there is something I need to do.  Thanks for info.

The biggest and most obvious culpret when considering gynecomastia development is estradiol or a poor Androgen to estrogen balance/ratio.

As long as your androgens are at those levels and accessing and you do not have any problem with androgen resistance or a any problem with the androgen receptors and your estradiol is at that level you are VERY unlikely to see any re-growth unless you have a differing underlying causative factor.

But you feel healthy for the most part and that is usually a very good sign that all is well.

What you do definitely need to do is have the osteoprosis treated adequately and have regular bone density scans to ensure you are not losing too much bone.

If you do lose to much bone then more radical treatments need to be considered- some of which I have detailed above.