Library · Disease
Gynecomastia
Make it clearer
Gynecomastia means that a man's breast gets bigger. It is not simply fat: what grows is ductal tissue, meaning the ducts of the gland, or the stroma, which is the supporting tissue, or fat, or several of these at once.
The explanation lies in two hormones. Estrogen makes glandular tissue grow and also suppresses testosterone secretion. It is a two-pan scale where the same thing that weighs one side down takes weight off the other.
That is why it appears precisely at the stages when hormones are in flux: at birth, from the estrogens that came from the mother; during adolescence; and in old age, when testosterone falls and the ratio between the two hormones changes.
Two things are worth knowing. The first is that in most cases gynecomastia is idiopathic, a word that means no cause can be found. The second is that the kind that shows up at puberty usually goes away on its own as testosterone rises.
In brief
Gynecomastia is enlargement of the male breast from increased ductal tissue, stroma, or fat.
Estrogen makes glandular tissue grow and suppresses testosterone secretion.
A two-pan scale where the same thing that weighs one side down takes weight off the other.
That is why it shows up mainly during the hormonal shifts of birth, adolescence, and old age.
In most cases gynecomastia is idiopathic, and the pubertal form usually resolves on its own.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingGynecomastia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated