Tiggurix wrote:
I am wondering if I'm an XXY male... I read about it today, and some of the symptoms are eerily fitting in regards to myself. I have rather prominent almost-breasts. In fact, some of my family members rather mean-spiritedly have joked that I should get a bra. I also have rather prominent hips, but over the belt line, oddly enough. Should I bother to get a diagnosis?
[puttin' on my doctor hat]
The two symptoms you describe are pretty non-specific. They might be consistent with Klinefelter's or they might have a totally different origin (most cases of gynecomastia are caused by endocrine irregularities, most often of the testes or the thyroid).
My first question would be, "Have you been noticing changes?" If your body is undergoing changes that might be indicative of something of greater concern than if it's simply a question that you have a different body type from other men your age.
My next question to you would be, "Are these things a problem for you?" A related question is "What will a diagnosis do for you?" Knowing that you are (or are not) XXY doesn't change whether or not you will opt to treat particular presentations. If things aren't clinically significant for you, then there is a legitimate question about whether you need to bother going down a diagnostic road. If significant questions arise later (particularly in relation to fertility) then that answer might change, and it's important to remember that not getting a diagnosis today doesn't foreclose getting one tomorrow.
But if you are at all concerned, by all means sit down with your doctor and talk about it. Even if you decide not to undergo a biopsy now, the issue will still be in the doctor's medical history, and it may provide insight if you have concerns later on that might be related.
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--James
08 Dec 2011, 1:30 pm
