How to Face Gynecomastia: Knowing the Male Gynecomastia Causes

Gynecomastia is brought about by the decrease of the production of testosterone. The reason for this decrease may be the condition that escalates the estrogen level. Male gynecomastia causes can be upsetting to the hormonal balance and these causes include natural hormone changes, medications and certain health conditions.

Natural Hormone Changes

The enlargement of male breasts can be caused by the same reasons why female breasts grow bigger. Both males and females have a fat and gland component that came with them when they were born. Certain conditions in the body can trigger glands and fats to grow for both sexes. When hormones are stimulated, they can cause the fat content in the breast to increase.

This condition could happen to males during birth, pubertal stage or aging but the most prominent stage when male gynecomastia occurs is during puberty. The reason for this is that the pubertal stage is the time when the most hormonal changes occur. Most males who undergo puberty experience breast growth triggered by hormones that keep on changing. Further, the researches done relating to gynecomastia usually points to the alteration of estrogen ratio as an explanation to breast growth in males.

Medications

Certain medications can also explain male gynecomastia causes. Here are some of the medications that you may be taking for a particular illness which may have also triggered breast growth in males:

Anti-androgens which are used to treat some cancer conditions can be one of the medications that cause male gynecomastia. Examples of these anti-androgens are cyproterone or finasteride.

HIV medication such as Efavirenz causes gynecomastia as well. An explanation for this is that males with HIV who have an antiretroviral therapy trigger the condition. Moreover, anti-anxiety drugs like Valium, antibiotics, tricyclic antidepressants, ulcer medications, cancer treatment and medications for the heart like digitalis are also some of the other treatments that can trigger male gynecomastia.

Apart from the medications, alcohol and street drugs such as anabolic steroids and androgens, amphetamines, marijuana, and heroin can also cause the condition. Herbal products like plant oils, tea tree or lavender contained in lotions, soaps or shampoos are also associated with gynecomastia.

Certain Health Conditions

Several congenital disorders can also explain the cause of gynecomastia. These health conditions can affect the hormonal balance which can trigger the enlargement of the glands and fats in male breasts.

Conditions such as the Klinfelter syndrome meddle with the normal production of testosterone that’s why it’s associated with male gynecomastia. Normal aging with consequential hormone changes also causes male breast growth and it mostly affects overweight men.

Tumors that involve the testes, pituitary and adrenal glands also interfere with the hormone balance and in turn, trigger gynecomastia. Another health condition related to gynecomastia is hyperthyroidism. When the thyroid gland overproduces thyroxine, it can affect other hormones in the body and trigger male gynecomastia. Other illnesses that can also affect balance in the hormonal changes are malnutrition, kidney failure, cirrhosis and liver failure.

With all of these, from health conditions to medications, male gynecomastia causes can be explained so that males would be able to determine and evaluate the reasons behind the growth of their breasts into something like that of a woman’s. Learning about the condition and its causes is the best way that a man can face the situation.