You know what really pisses me off?

[BadCaseGyno]

Physicians who tell teenagers "don't worry son, it'll go away eventually." That's complete BS. Any adolescent with more than a lump under their nipple should be advised that in all likelihood it won't go away on its own and will develop into a psychologically debilitating condition known as gynecomastia. If the lumpy nipple persists for more than 3 months, the doctor should be prescribing anti-estrogen drugs to all adolescents who show signs of this condition. Sure, a few of those teens' gynecomastia might go away on its own, but the majority will not. Anti-estrogen drugs have proven in lab tests to eradicate gynecomastia in teens if caught early enough. If my physician had told me this I wouldn't be here, and neither would most of gyno.org's younger members. These drugs carry very little risk, and compared to the emotional and financial damages that would occur if this condition is allowed to persist, many parents and teens alike would most likely agree that the risk is worth it (if fully informed of the situation by the physician).

Another thing that pisses me off is health websites that say "boys, don't worry if you notice a little breast development while going through puberty, it is completely normal. You're not growing breasts, and it'll go away on its own". No, boys, it won't. You are growing breasts. Get help immediately. Talk to and endo, start saving for surgery, do SOMETHING. Just don't sit on your ass because trust me, after years of emotional torment and ~$5000 later, you'll regret listening to your "physician".

[gyne-be-gone]

I completly agree!! I was told it would go away by 3 or 4 different doctors for years and guess what...it DIDN'T those dumb mother F*ckers don't know anything about the condition. For all the younger victims of this sh*t don't go to a general practice doc, you need to see a specialist immediatley to get it taken care of, otherwise your gonna be hoping and praying for your breasts to suddenly dissapear like the doc says and its NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!!

[Paa_Paw]

You and I did not have our breast tissue shrink. That does not mean that it does not happen, simply that it didn't work for us.

The Doctors that tell boys in their early teens that it will resolve in time are not always right, but they are right in many cases.

The more accurate statement for the Doctors would be that it may resolve in time, if not then surgery can reduce it.

At this point, your statement that the condition will never resolve without surgery is just as incorrect as saying that it always will.

We do not have absolutes in this regard, only probabilities.

[moobsbrah]

yeah, i don't think that the doctors are wrong at all. In fact, even many plastic surgeons and specialists agree that gyne will go away 90% of the time in a couple of years (at least the cases caused by puberty and not fat build-up). It's just that we represent that 10% who got fucked...

[Paa_Paw]

Sometimes it seems that if we had no bad luck, we'd have no luck at all.

Gynecomastia caused great distress for many, you cannot blame them for being somewhat irate. Their anger is for naught, nothing is gained therby.

[gyne-be-gone]

Dr. Bermant himself has said that if your gynecomastia has been stable for several months then 95% of the time it will not resolve itself on its own. General practice doctors (atleast the ones I have seen) do not seem to understand this and continued to give me false hope that one day I would wake up and have a flat chest. I'm trying to help all those young readers who, after a year or longer are still waiting for their condition to subside. Its not going to happen and you need to get cut on as soon as possible so you can live the rest of your life in a normal fashion.

[BadCaseGyno]

Dr. Bermant himself has said that if your gynecomastia has been stable for several months then 95% of the time it will not resolve itself on its own. General practice doctors (atleast the ones I have seen) do not seem to understand this and continued to give me false hope that one day I would wake up and have a flat chest. I'm trying to help all those young readers who, after a year or longer are still waiting for their condition to subside. Its not going to happen and you need to get cut on as soon as possible so you can live the rest of your life in a normal fashion.

I only wish my GP and my endo were as wise as Bermant.

I think we can all agree that it doesn't not go away 100% of the time, but if your breasts are large enough to be noticed and you've had it for a few months, then I don't see how it could go away. Has any of you here heard of someone who's breasts had disappeared after puberty? Because I sure haven't. Doctors should be telling teens with gyno that based on the size, and that you've had it for a few months that its probably not going to go away on its own. The doc should then educate the patient about drugs and surgery, and refer them to a plastic surgeon if necessary. Continuing the lie that gynecomastia magically disappears on its own is only hurting our youth.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

My own personal pet peeve is with many pediatricians who see youngsters with unmistakeable gynecomastia and just give them a pat on the shoulder and tell them "just wait it out....it will go away."  And it doesn't!!

I have tried to speak to many pediatricians in my local area.  The main thrust is that any young male, at puberty, whose gyne doesn't regress within two years, should be referred to a plastic surgeon for evaluation.  Young men should not be carried until the "magical" age of 18, when suddenly the pediatrician realizes that the gyne won't go away.  And that youngster has lost all those precious teen years -- working to hide his chest from view.

Dr Jacobs

[gyne-be-gone]

My own personal pet peeve is with many pediatricians who see youngsters with unmistakeable gynecomastia and just give them a pat on the shoulder and tell them "just wait it out....it will go away."  And it doesn't!!

I have tried to speak to many pediatricians in my local area.  The main thrust is that any young male, at puberty, whose gyne doesn't regress within two years, should be referred to a plastic surgeon for evaluation.  Young men should not be carried until the "magical" age of 18, when suddenly the pediatrician realizes that the gyne won't go away.  And that youngster has lost all those precious teen years -- working to hide his chest from view.

Dr Jacobs

excellent post doc! that is exactly the point I was trying to get across. I know many young men, including myself never got the chance to do normal teen things because they were to preoccupied with covering their chest and wondering if people were staring at them. It's not fair to these kids to just chalk it up as puberty and make them suffer through the torment and humiliation, while they should be enjoying some of the most carefree and fun times of their lives.

[Grandpa Bambu]

It's not fair to these kids to just chalk it up as puberty and make them suffer through the torment and humiliation, while they should be enjoying some of the most carefree and fun times of their lives.

Yes... it's very sad actually. All those precious "carefree and fun times" lost, to a condition that is so easily corrected.

However... there is still the issue of $$$. Not many 13-20 year olds have the means to raise the kind of coin that is necessary to have surgery.

GB...

[b33]

wow, i agree 100%.  im tired of this.  i have had it for over 2 years now...and it is the single most embarrassing thing i have ever gone through.  i know it isn't going to go away.  but i still hear from doctors, my mom, etc... that it is going to go away shortly.  you know what?  im tired of hearing that.  i have heard it probably a hundred times this year alone.  i don't like to live in Florida, and not be able to go down to the beach.  i don't like to go to swimming pools and have to wear a dark shirt in the pool, then get asked by 50 people, why am i wearing a shirt.  i dont like the fact that now i am 16 years old and still haven't had a girlfriend because girls make fun of my nipples and i dont have the confidence or self esteem to ask them out.

i got to the point (this may sound ridiculous) that i got a knife and almost cut open my nipple area to remove these lumps, but i didn't know how to sew my chest back up, so i stopped.  i get on my computer every single day, searching and looking for a way to at least hide this gyne or see if someone found a drug or something that could cure this.  people say and think i am over exaggerating, but i am not.  i don't know of any kids my age that have had this problem for more than 2-3 months.  they don't know what it is like to constantly get made fun of, or when you do have your shirt off outside, you try and cover it up with your arms or try to face the other way when a car goes by. 

and the worst part about all of this, imo is now you cannot get insurance to cover surgery.  so, my family who can barely afford to pay the bills, would have to pay $2,000 supposedly just to do a 1 hour procedure that removes two small lumps.

seriously i am done with this

[Lauterbrunnen]

I feel ya! I had no idea what gynecomastia even was when I was 15, but I knew I wasn't normal. Thought I just needed to lose a few pounds at first. It didn't work. I never liked swimming because of it. I could never walk around without a shirt on or change shirts in front of people. I think it has gotten a tad bit worse in the past 5 years. I'm saving my money right now, probably about 80 or 90 percent of every paycheck. I don't know how much it's going to cost... But I will come up with the money. I'm 20 now, and it ruined certain aspects of my teen years. Now it's screwing with my adult life. Start saving now, buddy. The sooner the better. I wish I had started saving when I was younger. In fact, at one point in time in my teen years I did have enough money from working and saving, I just didn't know what gynecomastia was and that it's what I had or that I could really do anything about it. So of course I spent my money on other things.

[BadCaseGyno]

Luckily I do have the money and am getting a consult next week. I can't imagine what it would be like being poorer and not being able to afford the surgery. I would first take it up with the insurance company, telling them that it is causing you tons of physical pain and that the masses are tender and painful. I would also fight the insurance companies to the grave if they denied me. If that didn't work, I'd probably rob a bank. Well, not really. But I'd find a way to pay for the surgery without waiting 5+ years to save up all the money.

[Paa_Paw]

The condition does not merely run in my family, it gallops. My concern at this point is not for myself but for my grandsons and even great-grandsons.

A couple of years ago, I was reading some material which was being distributed to physicians which had treatment recommendations for young men and boys who had Gynecomastia. Believe it or not, the primary treatment recommended was "reassurance." I will confess that I really wished I was able get the author of that material by the throat and give him some reassurance of my own devising. If the material had been published in the 1950's it could have been easily understood in light of the surgical methods of that time. Unfortunately, it was only two to three years ago and the article was current at that time.

It would seem that there are some areas where the training materials for some levels of Medical Education are woefully out of date.

[BadCaseGyno]

The condition does not merely run in my family, it gallops. My concern at this point is not for myself but for my grandsons and even great-grandsons.

A couple of years ago, I was reading some material which was being distributed to physicians which had treatment recommendations for young men and boys who had Gynecomastia. Believe it or not, the primary treatment recommended was "reassurance." I will confess that I really wished I was able get the author of that material by the throat and give him some reassurance of my own devising. If the material had been published in the 1950's it could have been easily understood in light of the surgical methods of that time. Unfortunately, it was only two to three years ago and the article was current at that time.

It would seem that there are some areas where the training materials for some levels of Medical Education are woefully out of date.

If you find the author, keep him alive because I want a piece of him too. 

Luckily, lab tests have shown that drugs such as Tamoxifen can drastically reduce or even eliminate gynecomastia if caught early enough. In your family, that's what I would recommend trying.