I've been medically diagnosed

[JoniDee]

My endocrinologist has examined me and certified that I do have Grade 4 gynecomastia. I've had it all my life, but the girls have grown during the past few years and I like how they've matured.

[blad]

Was there any discussion about wearing a bra for support?

[JoniDee]

Was there any discussion about wearing a bra for support?

I asked my endocrinologist about that, and she just replied with something to the effect of: "You don't have to wear one...just wave your girls proudly."

So, I decided on my own to start learning all I could about my breast size, shape, etc. But I gradually keep losing weight because of my diet, so I've been getting smaller proportionately. No health problems, just eating less to get to my healthy weight...I've lost 30+ pounds in about 17 months.

[42CSurprise!]

Conversations here about wearing brassieres touch on a number of issues.  For some men wearing a brassiere helps reduce nipple sensitivity or back pain... for some men wearing a brassiere keeps their breasts from moving about within their shirt.  They feel contained in a healthy way.  Some men make it almost a religious mantra saying that since we have "breasts like a woman" we should wear brassieres "just like a woman."  Some of us don't experience discomfort or pain and the "breasts like a woman" simply doesn't make sense.  Our breasts tend to be spread wider with nipples not at the center.  We may wish to wear a brassiere for comfort or for some kind of gender bending experience, not because we have to wear one.  I'm reminded of the exercise in which a group of blindfolded people are asked to describe an elephant based on what their hands encounter.  We each have our own perspective on how best to deal with the reality of breasts appearing on our chests and each have our own rationalization for being here and encouraging other men.  The good thing is there is support here for however we choose to respond... surgery, no surgery, brassiere, no brassiere, crossdressing, no crossdressing.

You'd no doubt find a brassiere that fits your breasts if you decide to go that way.  Or you could be like the young woman I drove past this afternoon on my way to a hike.  She was walking toward a young man with a dog on leash.  Suddenly she lifted her tee shirt, exposing her naked breasts which were about the same size as your breasts in the photo above.  You can simply do as your endocrinologist suggests and go braless, exposing your breasts or not.  Free at last...

[JoniDee]

Conversations here about wearing brassieres touch on a number of issues.  For some men wearing a brassiere helps reduce nipple sensitivity or back pain... for some men wearing a brassiere keeps their breasts from moving about within their shirt.  They feel contained in a healthy way.  Some men make it almost a religious mantra saying that since we have "breasts like a woman" we should wear brassieres "just like a woman."  Some of us don't experience discomfort or pain and the "breasts like a woman" simply doesn't make sense.  Our breasts tend to be spread wider with nipples not at the center.  We may wish to wear a brassiere for comfort or for some kind of gender bending experience, not because we have to wear one.  I'm reminded of the exercise in which a group of blindfolded people are asked to describe an elephant based on what their hands encounter.  We each have our own perspective on how best to deal with the reality of breasts appearing on our chests and each have our own rationalization for being here and encouraging other men.  The good thing is there is support here for however we choose to respond... surgery, no surgery, brassiere, no brassiere, crossdressing, no crossdressing.

You'd no doubt find a brassiere that fits your breasts if you decide to go that way.  Or you could be like the young woman I drove past this afternoon on my way to a hike.  She was walking toward a young man with a dog on leash.  Suddenly she lifted her tee shirt, exposing her naked breasts which were about the same size as your breasts in the photo above.  You can simply do as your endocrinologist suggests and go braless, exposing your breasts or not.  Free at last...

The last nine months has had me on a journey through the world of bras! I don't consider wearing bras as cross dressing...they are for supporting my girls, and to give a good presentation. Going without a bra makes me look out of shape, which I am not. In fact, the correct fitting bra gives my torso a trim look!

[42CSurprise!]

That sounds like a very healthy response to the situation.  I sense that most of us find pleasure in shopping for brassieres, which most boys probably found fascinating for different reasons.  We were looking forward to taking OFF a girl's brassiere so we could gain access to her breasts.  My neighbor when I was a boy was a sexy, voluptuous woman who loved to wear shorts and halter top while mowing the lawn.  I was smitten.  So shopping for brassieres is not quite the same as shopping for wrenches or screwdrivers.  It is like entering into forbidden territory.  Yes, there are the practical considerations having to do with finding the right size and assessing support, but these are brassieres we're touching and fitting to our bodies, then admiring.

There is a thread here in which the question was asked "how many brassieres do you own" and the answers were telling.  Men here often had more brassieres than their wives did.  I know my collection simply keeps growing, though I'm doing my best to limit myself.  I felt the same way as a boy collecting baseball cards...

I don't consider wearing a brassiere crossdressing either, but it is more than simply finding a pair of shoes that fit comfortably.  I know that is true for other men here simply by following the conversations that happen.  We often touch on the aesthetics of it... the look, the feel of our breasts held in brassieres.  Learning to LIKE our breasts is an aspect of self-acceptance that can be a surprise, but many men here will say exactly that.  It is the rare person, of course, who speaks about wanting larger breasts, but that too has happened here.

So this is extraordinary territory we are exploring... that you're exploring in your own way.  Welcome to this club... the one none of were excited to join, but are glad we did.

[gotgyne]

JonniDee, you're right with crossdressing. I already made a comment here in this forum, that crossdressing in my opinion means to appear as a member of the opposite sex. So if you are noticeably a man you don't crossdress. Why is there no crossdressing for women? It is no crossdressing because they appear always as women.

By the way, your female(!) endocrinologist seems to hate bras! Many women do.

[Rich meier]

JonniDee, you're right with crossdressing. I already made a comment here in this forum, that crossdressing in my opinion means to appear as a member of the opposite sex. So if you are noticeably a man you don't crossdress. Why is there no crossdressing for women? It is no crossdressing because they appear always as women.

By the way, your female(!) endocrinologist seems to hate bras! Many women do.

not allways a lot of women cross dress in male cloths. mens jeans flannel shirts work boots

[JoniDee]

JonniDee, you're right with crossdressing. I already made a comment here in this forum, that crossdressing in my opinion means to appear as a member of the opposite sex. So if you are noticeably a man you don't crossdress. Why is there no crossdressing for women? It is no crossdressing because they appear always as women.

By the way, your female(!) endocrinologist seems to hate bras! Many women do.

gotgyne, actually I took her tone as not wanting me to feel emasculated. I live in a very conservative part of the USA and I think she didn't know how I would take to being told I needed to wear a bra. She asked if I wanted a recommendation for a double mastectomy and when I said that I was keeping my breasts that's when she said, "Well, then wave them proudly." She was playing it safe.

[aboywithgirls]

gotgyne, actually I took her tone as not wanting me to feel emasculated. I live in a very conservative part of the USA and I think she didn't know how I would take to being told I needed to wear a bra. She asked if I wanted a recommendation for a double mastectomy and when I said that I was keeping my breasts that's when she said, "Well, then wave them proudly." She was playing it safe.

Jonni,
Most practitioners will play it safe like you said. In the past, I have also been offered "corrective surgery". I NEVER felt that anything needed correction.  It sounds like you feel the same. Even as a teen, I  was perplexed as to why anyone would assume that I would want to have my breasts removed?

In my opinion, a bra the best way to deal with breasts. Binding breasts for any amount is not healthy. Most here are uncomfortable going braless because of nipple discomfort, breast size or uncontrolled breast movement. I'm a 36H in most of my bras, so, going braless is not a good option for me. However others here can and do go braless. 

There is no one, absolute answer to acceptance of being  blessed with breasts. Some do choose a mastectomy, some choose a bra, I chose womanhood,  and others are ok with doing nothing. I wish you all of the best on your chosen path.

🤗🥰❤️
Sophie 

[Orb]

Having breast, in itself isn't a health issue.  It is however not the norm for men to have womanly breast.  I feel the response given to you was a well then accept and go on.  To bra up or not is clearly a choice you will make in time.  One often made for reasons of comfort support and appearance.  You will find your comfort zone and just be.  

[gotgyne]

There is no one, absolute answer to acceptance of being  blessed with breasts. Some do choose a mastectomy, some choose a bra, I chose womanhood,  and others are ok with doing nothing. I wish you all of the best on your chosen path.

🤗🥰❤️
Sophie

I'd say a little exaggerated: "Some of the men see gynecomastia as a blessing, others as a curse". And a third group doesn't care at all. Sadly for a lot of men who see their breasts as a blessing, their wives disagree.

[gotgyne]

We may wish to wear a brassiere for comfort or for some kind of gender bending experience, not because we have to wear one.

This is interesting. In fact there are women with much larger breasts than most of the men who don't wear a bra. I even know some women with D, DD and F cups who don't wear bras. This coincides with "Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book". She states that it is not necessary from a medical point of view to wear a bra and completely up to the woman if she wears a bra or not. I wonder if Dr. Love ever went downstairs fast without a bra. Even I with a B or C cup depending on the bra feel that it hurts a lot jumping downstairs without one.

[SideSet]

I hope you at least try a bra. I think you will like how you feel and look in a bra. Everything nicely held in place, so no more jiggling and nipping out.

[Busted (and happy)]

Gotgyne
A good few years back there was an unhealthy  (my personal view) number of posters on this site who peddled the view that below a certain breast size wearing a bra was totally unnecessary. In my view that was complete twaddle. 

My simplistic view is that if you have sore nipples, actual deeper pain or uncomfortable movement of breast tissue and there is a bra that fits, you will almost certainly get relief from buying one and wearing it. Size, appearance etc is not any indication, it is purely a matter of individuals' symptoms.
This was my GP's considered advice. I was only 36AA when I was uncomfortable enough to seek medical advice. A few years on I am somewhat bigger and happy, very happy in fact