Gynecomastia is a medical term that comes from the Greek words "woman like breasts". This condition is not quite as unusual as many may think as it affects approximately half of all men. Also, It is feasible to affect one or both breasts. DevelopmentalThe condition could be developmental, suggesting that is took place when born, during adolesence, or during the aging process. There is also a particularly large list of medicines that list Gynecomastia as one of the complications. Other reasons could include primary or secondary Hypogonadism. First Hypogonadism might include stress, infection, twisted testicles, radiation, chemical treatment, or the mumps. Secondary Hypogonadism is a bit more complex and include low testicular function, Kallmann Syndrome, and pituitary failure, which is a loss of blood supply, infection, or cancer. Gynecomastia can also be a result of growths, wide spread, including Adrenal, Cirrhosis, renal failure, or Thyrotoxicosis.Congenital DisorderFurther, it could be a result of a congenital disorder or could also caused from a number of other reasons such as alcoholism, chest wall trauma, cystic fibrosis, herpes zoster infection, HIV, Myotonic Dystrophy, obesity, psychological stress, spinal rope injury or refeeding after malnutrition. However, more often than not the cause is idiopathic. When there is an honest to goodness cause, it is mostly related to puberty in some shape because that is the time when most hormonal changes occur. The fluctuations in the hormones cause excess breast tissue to develop in over half the the males that go through puberty. Prescription Drugs and Illegal DrugsIn addition to the above discussed causes, there are still several more possibilities including leukemia, hemophilia, leprosy, Klinefelter's syndrome, Gilbert's syndrome, and the use of some prescription drugs, as mentioned, and also the use of some illegal drugs including marijuana, anabolic steroids, and heroin. Doctors never rule out the possibility that the underlying cause could just be something as a unsatisfactory diet and lack of exercise, especially if the patient is overweight.Hormone ImbalanceI hope this has given you a better concept of the factors behind Gynecomastia. Bear in a few cases when it is discovered that particular prescriptions have been a cause, the doctor can simply change the medicine. As an example, when dealing with ulcers a doctor could prescribe a medicine called Tagamet. This medicine has been known to cause Gynecomastia as a side effect, in which case the doctor could then change the medicine to Prilosec or Zantac and the condition would fade..