Gynecomastia

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Gynecomastia

Breast development in a male

Apply cold compresses and use analgesics as your health care provider recommends if swollen breasts are also tender.

Other tips include:

• Stop taking all recreational drugs, such as marijuana
• Stop taking all nutritional supplements or any drugs you are taking for bodybuilding

Call your health care provider if:

• You have recent swelling, pain, or enlargement in one or both breasts
• There is dark or bloody discharge from the nipples
• There is a skin sore or ulcer over the breast
• A breast lump feels hard or firm

Note: Gynecomastia in children who have not yet reached puberty should always be checked by a health care provider.

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Your health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions may include:

• Is one or both breasts involved?
• What is the age and gender of the patient?
• What medications is the person taking?
• How long has gynecomastia been present?
• Is the gynecomastia staying the same, getting better, or getting worse?
• What other symptoms are present?

Testing may not be necessary, but the following tests may be done to rule out certain diseases:

• Blood hormone level tests
• Breast ultrasound
• Liver and kidney function studies
• Mammogram

Intervention:

If an underlying condition is found, it is treated. Your physician should consider all medications that may be causing the problem. Gynecomastia during puberty usually goes away on its own.

Breast enlargement that is extreme, uneven, or does not go away may be embarrassing for an adolescent boy. Treatments that may be used in rare situations are:

• Hormone treatment that blocks the effects of estrogens
• Breast reduction surgery

Review Date: 07/25/2009
Reviewed By: Robert Cooper, MD, Endocrinology Specialist and Chief of Medicine, Holyoke Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).