How do I know I have man boobs

Men have been attracted to breasts from birth, they are pleasing to look at and fun to play with. Some men have a condition where there is swelling in their chest area, which can range from a small swelling, to looking like female breasts. This is the condition a lot of men refer to as having man boobs or moobs. What most people don't know is that the condition is clinically referred to as Gynecomastia, it is defined as the presence of a real breast tissue in a male. It is a condition that is brought on by an imbalance of androgen and estrogen hormones, in particular how the body responds to or uses these hormones cause the swelling of the breasts in males. An excess of estrogen in the male body can cause swelling of breasts, it may affect one or both breasts.

Physicians say that most 13-14 year old boys develop gynecomastia during puberty, it mostly disappears after a couple of years. If it persists longer than two years, it is called persistent pubertal gynecomastia. Other causes are aging, alcohol abuse, cancer, marijuana abuse, side effects of certain medications like ketoconazole, spironolactone, metronidazol, and cimetidine. This condition while embarrassing for the victim is not considered life threatening. The symptoms of gynecomastia are as previously mentioned the swelling or enlargement of male breasts, it enlarges the glandular tissue instead of the fatty tissue. It typically occurs on both sides of the chest, The nipples might be tender and sensitive to touch, though the pain is not considered severe.

It is important to differentiate gynecomastia from male breast cancer, male breast cancer usually occurs on one side, it is firm to the touch and is not centered around the nipple. Male breast cancer accounts for one per cent of overall breast cancer cases, it is usually associated with nipple discharge, nipple retracting and swollen lymph nodes. It is suggested than men contact their doctors if they discover that they have gynecomastia, that will help rule out male breast cancer or any other serious condition that may be a result of gynecomastia. Gynecomastia can be diagnosed by a physical examination with a detailed medical history that includes medication and drug use, a mammogram may be ordered if there is suspicion of cancer. Gynecomastia normally goes away on it's own within six months, doctors prefer observing over any specific type of treatment, also discontinued use of any medication that might cause it is recommended.

Other treatments are available to treat gynecomastia, but there is no conclusive evidence of their effectiveness, and no drugs have been approved to treat it yet. Testosterone replacement therapy has been effective in treating men with low testosterone levels and older patients but it is not effective with men that have normal levels of testosterone. Breast reduction surgery has also been used to treat more serious cases of gynecomastia. Men with gynecomastia are five times more at risk to develop breast cancer than men who do not have it.