Still no answers

[tomorrow]

So my doctor couldn't find any reason. I went to an Endo and he did a thorough screening and he can't find anything wrong with me. I'm going in to see a surgeon. My endo doesn't think I have much of a chance of gyne reoccuring. The only thing I brought up was that I used to smoke weed. OK I still do occasionally but far less than I used to. So far that might be the only explanation but without doing a control test there will probably never be a way of finding out the cause. I almost feel like doing some bong hits and getting another blood test. I haven't smoked in 4-5 months and its not like it gets better when I stop smoking. I wish I knew physically why this happens. Does marijuana have the ability to store fat cells in the chest area somehow? I'm not fat anywhere else. Does anyone else have gyne and have no idea why? You've been to the right doctors and noone can give you any answers? Although I'm grateful that I'm healthy but I almost wish they did find something wrong with me so I had answers.

[c3ntralp3rk]

dude. why hasn't anybody replied to this post.. but yeah, i got the answers for you.

well see, marijuana useage has been linked to one of the causes for gynecomastia, however i have also read on other sites that this theory isn't 100% proven..

one thing is that marijuana useage increases estrogen levels in your body.. estrogen is the female hormone (present in both males and females actually.. just a lot more abundant in females) which causes breast development (hence thats why around puberty, boys tend to have slight breast enlargement... i.e - pubertal gynecomastia).  

thats why some experts claim that extreme marijuana useage could result in gynecomastia.. but if your endo can't find anything wrong with you (hormone wise) then i would guess that your gyne is probably a result of pubertal gynecomastia, that didn't go away shortly after puberty..

how old are you? how long have you had gyne? do you have puffy nipples (a sign of the presence is glandular tissue - signifying true gynecomastia as opposed to pseudogynecomasita). try feeling under your nipple, if its just soft & tender & smooth, its probably fat.. if you feel lumpy, hard, muscle-esque tissue - then thats gland.

try talking to a PS too.. i guess thats probably the best option..

hope this helps.

[tomorrow]

First of all thanks for the reply.
I'm 30. I didn't begin developing gyne until around 21-22. I never had any problems during puberty - teens. It started towards the end of college. So I don't think it was pubertal onset.
I wouldn't say I was ever a heavy marijuana smoker either. I've heard that THC will increase estrogen levels. I have friends that get high like its a religion and they don't have any problems with gyne.
And I'd like to say I have never been overweight.
I wouldn't say I have puffy nipples though it depends on how warm it is. On hot days my nipple areas are puffy and my breasts are more "pointy". My endo said he detects a combination of of fat and glandular tissue. I don't feel anything lumpy or hard. I work out 5 days a week so I do have pec muscle under there which I think has actually pushed the fat out further. I have lost some weight through a  cardio routine but I never lose muscle in my chest area.
I'm going to talk to a PS next week.
Now I have read, and my doctor confirmed, that once you have gyne, it doesn't go away. Well without surgery I mean. So why now that my testosterone and estrogen levels are normal this doesn't go away?

[brama]

I also happen to smoke a little pot everyday and have been doing so for about 20 years (Im 36 and developed Gyne. about two years ago). My best friend smokes everyday too and he doesnt have it (Gyne.) and my father HAD Gyne. but never smoked pot.
I personally dont think it has anything to do with it (the pot). Theres also a million medications which claim they may cause gyne.
AND if soooo many men develope it then where does the pot fit in for the ones who dont smoke?

[a-man]

what makes you think there was a 'cause'... perhaps you were just born with more fat cells around your chest...

[brama]

what makes you think there was a 'cause'... perhaps you were just born with more fat cells around your chest...

Well, Im not really sure if or what the cause was/is but theres always mention of pot smokers developing gyne. that I figured Id just mention my experiences with it.
I wonder if an endocronologist can pin-point pot as the exact  'cause' of gyne. in someone??

[cruelnature]

Interesting point - it would be interesting to know, irrespective of any current hormonal imbalance or not, whether there must have been a phase of hormonal imbalance post-puberty to prevent the breast tissue from disappearing.

Does that sound like a reasonable hypothesis?

[brama]

Interesting point - it would be interesting to know, irrespective of any current hormonal imbalance or not, whether there must have been a phase of hormonal imbalance post-puberty to prevent the breast tissue from disappearing.

Does that sound like a reasonable hypothesis?

Yes. If Im understanding it correctly ; )

[tomorrow]

Well I know this for sure.
1. gyne didn't set in until a good 5 years after I started smoking pot so if it was the cause why would it take so long to set in?
2. gyne didn't go away when I stopped smoking for an extended period of time.
3. I don't currently have a hormonal imbalance or smoke pot yet my gyne is at an all time high

[Paa_Paw]

Adult onset Gynecomastia almost always has a direct cause.  Though the patient must be absolutely honest with the Doctor in order to establish the relationship.

That said, it should be fully understood that we are all different and just because one guy can get away with smoking pot and not develop breasts does not mean that someone else can be equally lucky.

THC is an oil and it is stored in the body fat.  The fat is the the same place where testosterone is converted to estrogen.  Some people are more susceptable to this than others.  Likewise, some people are more likely to have fatty deposits in the breast area.  perhaps you picked the wrong parents for your life-style.

Is Pot smoking connected to Gynecomastia? Yes, but not always.  Are you a Gambler?  I don't like the odds here.

Incidently, since THC is stored in the fat, it can lie there for a very long time.  

If you start and stop using repeatedly over time, your body may see this as a low but continuous dose.  It depends upon your own unique physiology and the length of the periods of abstenance.  

[makesmesad]

tommorow


I also at one point smoked for a couple of years in my teens -  I was a average (or more sometimes  ) Toker until a roadblock came up, But i had gyne developing well before i was a toke (3-4 years).....If marijuana does anything to contribute to gyne, Its the munchies and putting on alot of weight  

[Paa_Paw]

Thanks to makesmesad for covering my ommission.

The munchies is a very big issue as obesity is also a common factor in gynecomastia.

The list of potential causes is very long and it includes something like 200 different prescription drugs.

As with any other condition, the more risk factors you have the more likely you are to present the condition.