Hi All,
I have recently discovered this website and can see that it is very useful and informative to fellow Gyno sufferers. However, I also noticed that nobody appears to have had quite the same experienced as me so thought it may be helpful to some people to read my story. I'll attempt to be as brief and concise as possible so feel free to ask me questions or for further information if required.
I developed small moobs aged around 18 (I am now 26). They grew progressively larger and are now pretty severe. I am 6ft 3" tall and of athletic build, however I was chubby-ish through puberty and through the following few years but I have lost a lot of weight recently which has pronounced my Gyno further. I am talking major Gyno here, about a C-Cup Iguess you could say. I have seen some of the pictures on here of people claiming to have bad Gyno, I would give my right arm to have Gyno as 'bad' as some of these people (no disrespect, just want to give a clear picture of the severity).
I was really struggling to shake of my moobs by exercising and having seen a bit about Gynocomastia on C4’s Embarrassing Bodies I plucked up the courage to visit my GP having convinced myself this was not just excess fat.
Having had a feel around my GP swiftly diagnosed it as Gyno. The firm and lumpy breast tissue can easily be felt under my skin, as opposed to just squidgy fat. In a way this was a relief to me as I knew there was something wrong and it wasn’t just me not exercising hard enough!
My GP agreed there and then this could be dealt with via plastic surgery under the NHS. However as a precaution he sent me to see a Endocrinologist to make sure there were no underlying hormone issues at play!
I went to see the Endo who again confirmed my case as definite Gyno and confirmed NHS treatment was available. I had my bloods taken and was told I would be referred to the plastic surgeon if the bloods were normal.
My bloods revealed I had low testosterone which caused my Gyno. I was surprised by this given my size. My only symptom was that of Gyno, all of the of my other physical characteristics are normal, if not more masculine than others! I was then sent for a CT scan to ensure my Pituitary Gland was of normal size and to rule out any tumours in that area. Luckily my CT came back clean and I was diagnosed with Secondary Hypogonadism which has an unknown cause.
Following another consultation with the Edno it was decided I should begin Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) ASAP. The TRT would consist of a daily dose of Testogel. This is a clear gel which comes in sachets and is applied daily to the upper arms, shoulders or stomach area. It is essentially designed to increase Testosterone levels to normal (in my case in the hope that it reverses the Gyno). I was told it should have an effect on my Gyno but I could still have surgery if required.
I have been on the TRT for a couple of weeks now and have noticed that I am able to lose weight far easier and feel much more energetic and healthier, although this may just be psychological. The bad news is, although my Gyno has gone softer, it appears to be the same size. Although the treatment can often take 6 weeks to really kick in I am not holding out much hope as I read, albeit online, that although Testogel works wonders for increasing testosterone its record in treating longstanding Gyno is poor. It is more effective in reducing Gyno on younger people who have had it for only a couple of years.
I intend to see my GP again and ask him to refer to me a surgeon to have my Gyno removed. I am hopeful that this will be fine as we have found the cause and are treating it, now I just want them removed. I am aware that I am required to continue to TRT for the rest of my life. However I will come off the TRT when trying for kids as Hormone replacement therapy decreases fertility in men.
To summarise it has been an interesting journey for me. I am glad I know the cause and that it is being treated. I do feel far
better in myself having been on TRT (not that I was noticeably unwell before). I fully intend to have my Gyno surgically removed over the next few months on the NHS. My only wish I that I sought medical advice far earlier and got this dealt with before it partially ruined my early 20’s (the normal no t-shirt, no taking top off etc.). I would reccomend anyone getting surgery privately to make sure you have blood tests first to ensure its not an testosterone deficiency.
I have another Endo appointment in 5 months to take my bloods again to see if I need to up my dose of Testosterone. It may be that an increased dose has more of an effect on my Gyno although I am hoping by then I will have had surgery so will never know.
I will update you after my next GP appointment.
Topic: My Story... (Read 6635 times)
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