Gynecomastia is the enlargement of the breast tissues in males. It can be stressful, traumatic, and definitely depressing.
Having big breasts as a guy can be difficult to hide—even if he wears baggy clothes. It can even make him the butt of all jokes, which can make everyday activities traumatizing—swimming with friends or changing after Physical Education (PE) classes. Sometimes, this fear of rejection can even hinder him from entering a romantic relationship.
Again, this is very depressing.
What causes this, though?
For baby boys who have it, (Yes, babies can get it) this is caused by their mother’s estrogen remaining in the blood after birth. This doesn’t stay long, though.
For the 70% of boys who get it during puberty, blame it on their hormones going crazy. Natural changes in estrogen and testosterone happen during this time of awkwardness, which can lead to breast enlargement.
Older men can get it, too. For them, it could be due to hormonal imbalance as they age, obesity, or perhaps certain medications being ingested—antibiotics, drugs to treat anxiety, heart problems, and even heartburn.
Other causes include excessive alcohol intake, marijuana, and certain illegal substances.
Ingredients with natural estrogen such as herbal products containing lavender oil or tea tree oil can also cause breast enlargement in males. This is because the natural estrogen can essentially interfere with the body’s hormone levels.
Given all the causes and depressing effects gynecomastia may have on guys emotionally, can being depressed be added to the list of its causes?
While there aren’t medical research to prove its correlation, it may just be a possibility!
It may be a long shot but it can still be a possibility.
How?
When a guy is depressed for whatever reason, it may cause him to overeat. Overeating may lead to his becoming obese, hence, the man boobs.
Or if a guy is depressed, it can possibly lead to substance abuse. Should he expose himself to heroin or amphetamines, substances that are triggers for enlarged breast in males, then voila!
Or perhaps if an older man is depressed, this can possibly lead to anxiety attacks. The medicine used to combat these anxiety attacks may lead to having man boobs.
This is another long shot, but a definite possibility.
Sadly, once the guy has man boobs, it can lead to his being depressed. It’ll be a never-ending cycle—not unless it’s treated medically or by surgery.
While not every case can be cured, it can definitely be treated.
These treatments not only minimize enlarged breasts physically, but also emotionally. The stress, trauma, and depressive state may start to dwindle along with the dwindling of his breasts.
Let’s just hope that these treatments turn out successful. If not, well, that’s just… again, depressing. That calls for a separate entry about surgeries gone wrong, botched surgeries, which can ultimately lead to depression.
“Does depression really cause Gynecomastia?” Maybe that isn’t the right question to ask. While possible, it’s a long shot.
Perhaps the right question to ask is, “Does Gynecomastia cause depression?”
If that’s the case, the answer is definitely a “Yes”.
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