Demystifying Gynecomastia: Men with Breasts [Paperback]

Merle James Yost; LMFT (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2006

Who would think that a simple game of Shirts and Skins could bring terror to a young boy s heart? This ordinary childhood ritual can feel like a fate worse than death for a boy with Gynecomastia, and in some cases, a game like this can put a boy in real danger. Gynecomastia, the development of breast tissue in a male, can range from pea-sized to fully developed breast. The inability of the liver to process all of testosterone in the bloodstream causes the excess to be converted to estrogen. Some estimate it happens to 90% of boys to some degree. For most, it dissolves once the hormones stabilize and the liver adjusts to the new levels. For a certain percentage of males, the hormone stabilization happens later and the growth of breast tissue is obvious and permanent, causing for many severe emotional harm and often a lifetime of body self-consciousness. This self-consciousness will prevent them from feeling normal and may stop them from participating in many of the rites of becoming a man. There is no agreement as to what percentage of boys develops Gynecomastia and in what percentage it does not go away. Gynecomastia in and of itself is a benign condition. However, it does signal that there are other things going on in the body. Hypothyroidism, Klinefelter Syndrome, Gilberts syndrome, Hepatitis, alcoholism, are common causes of gynecomastia. The increase of obesity in adults and children has also contributed to the epidemic. In recent years, prescription medications including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, the SSRIs, acid reflux drugs, and prostate drugs are causing a wave of adult onset Gynecomastia that impacts men around the world. This condition is destroying childhoods, self-confidence and the lives of men and boys. Gynecomastia.org gets 100,000 hits per month; men, boys, and parents look there for answers and support. Most have never heard of this condition until their family doctor identifies it. Often that doctor is unaware of the cause and

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Merle Yost is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Oakland, California. He publishes www.gynecomastia.org, a free service, and has been interviewed for print publications and for a major television documentary called Men with Breasts in the United States and Boys with Breasts in the United Kingdom. He has co-authored or edited four previous books on other topics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 121 pages
• Publisher: Gynecomastia.org; 1st edition (March 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977719901
• ISBN-13: 978-0977719907
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Us Moob Males!, September 22, 2007

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Demystifying Gynecomastia: Men with Breasts (Paperback)

This author is juggling a lot of JUGS, if you know what I mean. He's trying to speak to males who "develop" when they are young and when they are old; those who want their endowments chopped off and those who embrace them; those who are going through a phase and those who will be endowed forever without surgery. He's really trying to address the countless people who have their own myriad perspectives. I thank him for trying to embrace all readers, but this book does have a scant, scrapbook-ish feel that many serious readers may not like. This book is filled with males who wear sweaters to hide their endowments, but for me, sweaters are what make them stand out, so I wear vests for concealment. This book also quotes countless men who say they avoid romantic unions because they don't want others to see their set-up, but I would think moobs are not a reason to actively choose celibacy. Mr. Happy Downstairs still has his needs and priorities.

One of the author's largest goals is to tell moob males that they are not alone. Like a lot of LGBT youth in the closet have valiantly testified, moob males think it's only them. I feel that same way too. One thin guy in junior high had them and one of the men shown in prison in the film "Slam" had them, but I've never seen any other male besides myself with them. Then again, the author says 90% of other people don't notice and many moobs don't last forever. But if a teenaged male had bigger-than-norm nipples or a senior citizen had sagging pecks, I would not include them with us stand-out moob men. I really wish this book could have had a historical section speaking about famous men and how they addressed their moobs.

Again, the book emphasizes, "You are not alone." With speak of "A-levels" and "mates," the interviewees for this book are not all Americans. That's great that this book gives space to English-speaking moob men across the globe. However, when one has to find a person all the way in other countries to come out as a moob man, it breaks the idea that moob males are everywhere. Also, in nations with universal healthcare, perhaps surgery would be covered or given at a reduced price.

Speaking of price, the author lists all kinds of tricks to get insurance to cover the surgery, but I get the sense that if a male wants it, he's going to have to cough up loot for the operation. The author never says how much it costs and I imagine that many men would give up the idea of surgery if it were too expensive. I wish the author would have said more about Klinefelter's Syndrome as well.

This book is not going to win any awards. Still, I'm glad someone made a book about a matter that is very important to us males that have moobs. This book is a good starting place for males of our kind. The book tries to speak to parents, partners, and coaches of moob males, but I think a moob male might be insulted if he got this book as a gift or saw a loved one reading it and staring in his direction. Perhaps, I should applaud the book for bringing up something that so many people, even men in the group, want to keep hidden or silent.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, Missing One Thing, April 11, 2009

By 

Easton (Louisville, KY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Demystifying Gynecomastia: Men with Breasts (Paperback)

Jeffrey Mingo does a through and succinct review of the book in his customer review. I agree with everything he says so I won't rehash our identical opinions.

That said, Jeffrey mentions how this book is about compassion for the situation but doesn't really offer any solutions. I agree, that is the missing piece.

We just found this report and it was a jump start to a solution. Nice complement to this book. Recommended. Man Boobs Report: Resources for Gynecomastia / Moobs / Male Breast Reduction [same as free report at www.ManBoobsReport.com] (Man Boobs Report Resources ... / ManBoobs / Male Breast Reduction )