Gynecomastia Patients Want to Know, “What is Klinefelter’s Syndrome?�

The causes of gynecomastia or male breasts are not always known. There are some factors that will cause gynecomastia breasts for some men, and one of those is Klinefelter’s syndrome. Many San Francisco Bay Area men who have never heard of Klinefelter’s syndrome,want to know what it is.

The normal male has an XY chromosomal makeup, and the normal female has an XX chromosomal makeup. Klinefelter’s syndrome is a genetic disorder where the male has an extra X chromosome so instead of an XY he is an XXY and has 47 chromosomes instead of 46 which is normal. This condition can also be referred to as XXY males or 47XXY males.

For many men with this syndrome, it may not be apparent until after the onset of puberty. The symptoms may include hypogonadism, reduced fertility, less facial body and facial hair, and gynecomastia is present in about one third of affected men, with some choosing to have male breast reduction surgery. Men with the XXY syndrome can have different degrees of symptoms both physically and developmentally.

The best way to identify Klinefelter’s syndrome is by karyotype testing, which determines the number of chromosomes and what they look like.

During a gynecomastia consultation, Dr. Delgado tries to determine what may have caused the patients enlarged breasts also known as man boobs. Unfortunately, sometimes it may remain unknown.