Enlarged Breasts in Men (Gynecomastia)

To find out if you have gynecomastia, a member of your health care team starts by asking you some questions. For example, you’ll likely be asked about your symptoms and any medicines you take. You’re also given a medical exam to check your breast tissue, stomach area and genitals.

Tests

Your health care team likely will order tests. These can help find a possible cause of gynecomastia or look for conditions that can cause similar symptoms. Tests also may be done to check for breast cancer. You may need exams such as:

• Blood tests.
• Mammograms — This is an X-ray of the breast.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scans — This is a series of X-rays taken from different angles.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans — This imaging test uses a magnetic field and radio waves.
• Testicular ultrasounds — This uses sound waves to make images of the testicles and the tissue around them.
• Tissue biopsies — This procedure removes a tiny piece of tissue, which gets checked in a lab.

Conditions that cause similar symptoms

Your health care team will want to be sure that your breast swelling is gynecomastia and not another condition. Other conditions that can cause similar symptoms include:

• Fatty breast tissue. Another name for this is pseudogynecomastia. Some people, especially those with obesity, have breast fat that looks like gynecomastia. But it isn’t the same as gynecomastia. For people diagnosed with this condition, more testing isn’t needed.
• Breast cancer. Breast cancer is uncommon in men, but it can happen. Enlargement of one breast or the presence of a firm lump raises the concern for male breast cancer.
• Mastitis. This is inflamed breast tissue that sometimes involves an infection.
• Lipoma. This slow-growing, fatty lump is not cancer.