Usually, it is common for some thin girls to have a lot of doubts because of the protruding Adam's apple on their necks. They think that having an Adam's apple is a physiological phenomenon unique to men, and they worry that having an Adam's apple will make them transform into men. affect future life. To understand this problem, we must first understand how Adam's apple is produced.
The Adam's apple refers to the cartilage protrusion in the human throat, located at the central connection between the left and right thyroid cartilages. The Adam's apple has no practical function for the human body. Thyroid cartilage plays a protective role in the throat cavity in the human body. Why is it called thyroid cartilage? Firstly, because its shape resembles armor, and secondly, it plays a protective role as armor on the throat, hence its name. As for the difference in Adam's apple size between men and women, it is due to differences in endocrine hormone levels.
Men develop Adam's apple earlier than women during puberty, and men's Adam's apple is generally more protruding than women's. Protruding Adam's apple is one of male sexual characteristics. After puberty, men's Adam's apple will generally protrude forward to varying degrees due to the effect of androgens. However, a few girls also experience protruding Adam's apple. What is the reason for this?
The human throat is composed of 11 pieces of cartilage as a scaffold. The most important and largest piece is the thyroid cartilage. The laryngeal cartilage begins to develop when the fetus is 2 months old and continues to grow every year until 5 to 6 years after birth. However, the growth of laryngeal cartilage basically stops between the ages of 5 and 6 and puberty. Therefore, the thyroid cartilage of both boys and girls is the same. After entering puberty, due to the increased secretion of androgen, men develop Adam's apple. As for the causes of protruding Adam's apple in girls, there are roughly three situations:
1. Insufficient endocrine function
Everyone knows that the dominant sex hormones in women are estrogen and androgen. The content of cord is very small. If the ovaries are insufficient, or there is a problem with the endocrine glands such as the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands, the content of androgens in the body will increase. As a result, the phenomenon of "taking the spotlight" will occur, and masculine symptoms such as protruding Adam's apple, hirsutism, and thickening of the voice will occur. At the same time, some characteristics that women should have have not changed significantly.
2. Genetic factors
The growth and development characteristics of the previous generation will be passed on to the next generation, not only the height and body shape, but also the shape of the eyes, the length of the nose, and the height of the cheekbones. , ear size, breast shape...all are inherited. Of course, this also includes the size of your Adam's apple. If the father's Adam's apple is particularly large and conspicuous, the daughter's Adam's apple will sometimes be more prominent.
3. Weight loss
Although women’s Adam’s apple is not as big and prominent as men’s, women who are too thin will still have Adam’s apple due to the underdeveloped fat and muscle tissue in the front of the neck. It will appear to protrude forward. However, some adolescent girls will have a physiological enlargement of their thyroid gland. This is because the metabolism is relatively strong and the supply of iodine is insufficient for a time, resulting in relative physiological iodine deficiency, which will disappear in the future. Because the enlarged thyroid gland is just below the Adam's apple, it is often mistaken for a protruding Adam's apple.
It can be seen that the development of Adam's apple in girls is mostly a manifestation during the development process. If the Adam's apple is only enlarged and there are no other abnormalities, and it is not caused by endocrine factors, then there is no need to worry because it will not affect gender and future development. If it is caused by endocrine disorders, targeted treatment is needed, and it can be cured. Also check whether there are tumors in the reproductive system and whether there are diseases in the adrenal cortex. In addition, very few girls still have male testicles in their bodies, which is medically called hermaphroditism. Such patients will not only affect gender, but also affect fertility. If the protruding Adam's apple is related to the thinness of the neck muscles, as long as you pay more attention to nutrition, strengthen exercise, and do not blindly diet to lose weight, you will not feel the protrusion of the Adam's apple after the muscles become plump.