Can a doctor find the cause of your gyno with tests?

[slgjgnssg]

Hey! im a new member and i am having my intro meeting with my surgeon on monday. I was wondering if there was a way that he could find out what the specific cause of my gyno is. I have been smoking marijuana for 4 years now (im almost 20), but i had gyno before that like from 6th grade on. Also im pretty sure my father has gyno too (im not sure if its hereditary or not but im pretty sure it is). I know that marijauna can disrupt the hormone balance but i didnt think it would be enough to cause it, or bring it back after the surgery. I heard about estrogen blocker pills that could help too. Any info/help would be great

[Litlriki]

The most common etiology of gynecomastia is the normal hormonal fluctuations that take place in life.  During the newborn period, infants may have some breast enlargement caused by circulating maternal estrogens which can travel across the placenta.  In old age, the testosterone levels in men drop, leading to alteration of the estrogen to testosterone ratio, which can again stimulate breast tissue growth.  In your case, during puberty, young men get on the roller coaster of hormonal stimulation that will turn them from boys into men, and again, at some points, the relationship between testosterone and estrogens circulating in the body can lead to stimulation of breast tissue with resultant gynecomastia.  In 95% of cases during puberty, the condition will resolve within 3 years.  You're most likely one of the unlucky 5%, who still suffer from the condition.  Whether or not your marijuana use has contributed to that is unclear, and in my opinion, it is probably unlikely that it's an issue. (I think that the relationship between marijuana and gynecomastia is more of a function of "reefer madness" than actual physiology, but that is beyond the scope of this answer.)

You can certainly ask your physician to run a bunch of tests, all of which will likely be normal, but in the absence of other problems and in the presence of a condition that arose during puberty, the most likely diagnosis is "Idiopathic Gynecomastia."

Rick Silverman

[DrPensler]

Most gynecomastia is idiopathic which means we do not know the cause. You might research the etiology a bit  Also at you appointment no doubt you will be asked a series of questions by your physician.