small case of gyno? or just fat

[skillet89]

hello im 21 years old 5'8" was 132lb took a cycle of steroids...very bad idea i know im no longer doin that so dont worry, im now 152lb after the cycle and if im not just paranoid i think i now have a small case of gyno caused by the high levels of estrogen from the steroid but im just not sure maybe its just fat. here are some pictures please be honest it wont hurt my feelings  i just wana know what it is so i can take the correct actions to take care of it. Thank you.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2923/1001720y.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5854/1001718di.jpg
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6237/1001717g.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1655/1001711i.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1551/1001709b.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3152/1001702t.jpg

[Mark102]

You may have a little gland there but nothing serious.

Be careful, don't do steroids....

Mark

[jojo82]

Since you admit steroid use, you should go see an endocrinologist to check your estrogen levels and take corrective action now if there is an imbalance; that's advice to take regardless of whether you have gyne. Veteran steroid users take other drugs to mitigate the effect of excess estrogen after a cycle.

As for the gyne, it may just be fat. It's hard to tell from the pictures. If you do have breast tissue, it's a very small amount.

[Raider Fan]

Looks like slightly puffy nipple.  Mild gyne, at best. 

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Mild case, true.  But you are slender and if you have any excess tissue on your chest, don't think of it as fat (particularly if there was nothing there prior to your steroid misadventure).  In my experience, gyne which is due to steroid intake is usually solid tissue and is much larger (under the skin) than would appear on the surface.

Once your hormones have stabilized, would recommend a visit to an experienced gyne surgeon -- that is, if you want to have it removed.  If you can live with it, then do so.

Dr Jacobs

[skillet89]

Mild case, true.  But you are slender and if you have any excess tissue on your chest, don't think of it as fat (particularly if there was nothing there prior to your steroid misadventure).  In my experience, gyne which is due to steroid intake is usually solid tissue and is much larger (under the skin) than would appear on the surface.

Once your hormones have stabilized, would recommend a visit to an experienced gyne surgeon -- that is, if you want to have it removed.  If you can live with it, then do so.

Dr Jacobs

ive been doing some research and ive read that Letrozole femara might take away the small amount of tissue that i have from the steroid and read alot of posts where people have said that Letrozole has worked for them as fast as two weeks, but i have also read posts where some have tryed the same thing and it didnt work. Do you know if Letrozole can take away the existing tissue? or does it only prevent it from growing any larger.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Would strongly recommend speaking to an endocrinologist before embarking on treatment which may or may not be helpful to you.   Sometimes Letrozole can be helpful -- but not all the time.

Dr Jacobs

[skillet89]

Would strongly recommend speaking to an endocrinologist before embarking on treatment which may or may not be helpful to you.   Sometimes Letrozole can be helpful -- but not all the time.

Dr Jacobs

ok i will speak to an endocrinnologist first i would need a prescription for the Letro so either way i would have to see a Doctor, but just out of curiosity how is it that Letrozole reduces the size of gyne? i would think it would only keep it from growing any bigger but some people have reported that it actually made it completely go away! that just doesnt make any since to me, what does letro do to make it go away? does it just burn the tissue of?

[DrBermant]

hello im 21 years old 5'8" was 132lb took a cycle of steroids...very bad idea i know im no longer doin that so dont worry, im now 152lb after the cycle and if im not just paranoid i think i now have a small case of gyno caused by the high levels of estrogen from the steroid but im just not sure maybe its just fat. here are some pictures please be honest it wont hurt my feelings  i just wana know what it is so i can take the correct actions to take care of it. Thank you.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2923/1001720y.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5854/1001718di.jpg
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6237/1001717g.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1655/1001711i.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1551/1001709b.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3152/1001702t.jpg

gyno or just fat

is a common question here in this forum.

All mammals with have breast gland, both male and female. For men, it is an issue of how much contributes to the contour problem. Exam of the Male Chest by feeling the tissue does not differentiate between fat and gland. Although gland tends to feel firm and fat soft, gland can be soft and fat firm. Check out the Anatomy of Gynecomastia, fingers of gland course through fingers of fat. That complicates determining the nature of tissues by touch alone.

Anabolic steroids, as you found out, can cause an imbalance of hormones. Gland stimulated swells and enlarges. Once the stimulation stops, the swelling resolves but what gland has grown you may be stuck with. Antiestrogens will react and help only during the swelling phase and do not reverse actual gland growth. So any recommendation for something like Letrozole will be ineffective if the problem happened long in the past. If the tissues are still painful and tender, then getting the problem stabilized is the first step. If there has not been enough build up, then the problem may resolve without surgery. Antiestrogens and hormonal manipulation should only be done under the hands of an experienced endocrinologist.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

[skillet89]

hello im 21 years old 5'8" was 132lb took a cycle of steroids...very bad idea i know im no longer doin that so dont worry, im now 152lb after the cycle and if im not just paranoid i think i now have a small case of gyno caused by the high levels of estrogen from the steroid but im just not sure maybe its just fat. here are some pictures please be honest it wont hurt my feelings  i just wana know what it is so i can take the correct actions to take care of it. Thank you.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2923/1001720y.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5854/1001718di.jpg
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6237/1001717g.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1655/1001711i.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1551/1001709b.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3152/1001702t.jpg

gyno or just fat

is a common question here in this forum.

All mammals with have breast gland, both male and female. For men, it is an issue of how much contributes to the contour problem. Exam of the Male Chest by feeling the tissue does not differentiate between fat and gland. Although gland tends to feel firm and fat soft, gland can be soft and fat firm. Check out the Anatomy of Gynecomastia, fingers of gland course through fingers of fat. That complicates determining the nature of tissues by touch alone.

Anabolic steroids, as you found out, can cause an imbalance of hormones. Gland stimulated swells and enlarges. Once the stimulation stops, the swelling resolves but what gland has grown you may be stuck with. Antiestrogens will react and help only during the swelling phase and do not reverse actual gland growth. So any recommendation for something like Letrozole will be ineffective if the problem happened long in the past. If the tissues are still painful and tender, then getting the problem stabilized is the first step. If there has not been enough build up, then the problem may resolve without surgery. Antiestrogens and hormonal manipulation should only be done under the hands of an experienced endocrinologist.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

ok that doesnt make since to me at all first you said that "Antiestrogens will react and help only during the swelling phase and do not reverse actual gland growth" but then you said "If there has not been enough build up, then the problem may resolve without surgery.".......wel if antiestrogens wont reverse it even if i have very little build up then how is it that the problem might be able to be solved without surgery? maybe i misunderstood something but that just doesnt make since to me. How can anything other then surgery solve the problem even if i have extremly low build up if theres noting that wil actually reverse it?

[Raider Fan]

Welcome to gyne.org, skillet89.  

I think the confusion here is because there is a time when the gland is in an active swelling phase and a non-active phase.  When it is in an active phase, THAT's when the anti-estrogen drugs you mentioned can help.  These drugs not only help the pain associated with the early symptoms of gyne, but if given soon enough during the active phase, they can stop the tissue from growing further and possibly even make the swollen tissue reverse itself.  Think of it as a rose that starts to bud, but then someone snips it off and it eventually withers and dies.  If caught early enough in an active phase of gyne, these medicines can sometimes (not all the time) reverse the situation.  This is why body builders use them immediately after a cycle.....to prevent any swelling of the gland, hopefully before it even starts.  

After awhile, the "active" phase of gyne goes away, growth stops, and you're pretty much left with what you have.  The longer the swollen glandular tissue has been there, the less chance you have of it going away with the use of the anti-estrogen medicines.  If you wait too long, they really don't do much of anything to the tissue that's already there.  So the key to these meds is to use them as soon as possible when you first notice changes or pain/tenderness going on in your breast.  Typically, only endocrinologists will prescribe these meds.  They are usually out of the realm of expertise of most family doctors and they usually will not prescribe them.  

Letrozole is extremely expensive, as it does not come in generic form.  Arimidex is another aromatase inhibitor (like Letrozole), but DOES come in generic form and is, therefore, much, much cheaper.  Tamoxifen (or Nolvadex) is the medication usually used in early stage gynecomastia.  It also comes in generic form.

All of these medicines are generally used in women being treated for breast cancer.  Women usually take these types of medicines for several years, whereas, men usually only take them 2 or 3 months for gyne.  You should be aware that they are not without some potentially serious side effects, so you should discuss this with your doctor if you are interested in trying them.

[skillet89]

hey Raider fan would about 6 weeks after noticing some  signs of gyne be to late to try to combat the problem with anti-estrogen? im going to go see a Doctor , but i would like to educate myself as much as possible about this. In my case the gyne was caused by icrease of estrogen from the steroid that i was taking, at the time i didnt know anything about gyne about 6 weeks later i started reading up on it and now i know what i have but is it to late to try and reverse it with anti-estrogen? Do i have a small chance in stil being able to reverse it with meds, i want to avoid surgery if possible. Oh i forgot to mention i started to notice the signs of gyne about 3 weeks into my steroid cycle and i took steroids for about 8 and a half weeks it was towards the end that i came to find out what was going on. Im still in the active phase? or is it to late?

[Raider Fan]

No one can really say, with certainty, where you are along the "active/non-active" timeline.  But IMO, I think there's still a chance that the Tamoxifen/Arimidex could help you.  My endo gave me Tamoxifen 4 months after my symptoms first appeared, so if you're just into it about 6 weeks, that's not all that long. 

Are your nipples/breasts tender or painful at all?  If they are, that's an indication that you're still in the active (growing) phase of gynecomastia and that's when the anti-estrogens have the best chance of working their magic.  Tamoxifen typically helps with painful/tender gyne pretty quickly.  Whether it would also reverse or improve your condition, no one can really say or know that.  You'd just have to try it and see what happens. 

[skillet89]

No one can really say, with certainty, where you are along the "active/non-active" timeline.  But IMO, I think there's still a chance that the Tamoxifen/Arimidex could help you.  My endo gave me Tamoxifen 4 months after my symptoms first appeared, so if you're just into it about 6 weeks, that's not all that long.  

Are your nipples/breasts tender or painful at all?  If they are, that's an indication that you're still in the active (growing) phase of gynecomastia and that's when the anti-estrogens have the best chance of working their magic.  Tamoxifen typically helps with painful/tender gyne pretty quickly.  Whether it would also reverse or improve your condition, no one can really say or know that.  You'd just have to try it and see what happens.  

no they were never painful or tender only symptom i have are puffy nipples and puffiness around the nipple kinda looks like fat but i know that it wasn't there before my steroid use. If you look at the pictures i posted you can see what i mean its just some small puffiness around the nipple.