I have a Varicocele

[nodiggitydave]

Hey guys.

I'm 18 and after searching on the internet I have found out the dilated veins in my testes is a varicocele. Incase you don't know this is a vein with a dodgy valve, so blood can flow up and down it where usually it shouldn't.

After alot of research I have found out this can affect my testosterone levels, also my testicle size. My varicocele is on the left which is apparently very common.

I don't have any sideburns and have a baby face and was wondering if this could be a factor? I might be worried over nothing to be honest but naturally my health and future fertility are important to me.

 

[lanky]

i have a grade 3 varicocele(most severe) my left testicle is about half the size as the right. diagnosed when i was in early teens..i have done vast research in this area. there is evidence in both directions on the testosterone issue..there might be a slight reduction compared to controll groups as we(people with varicocele) age mostly noted from late 20s'+ i am around that age and my testosterone levels have been fine 850ng/dl most recently 709 ng/dl (most people wish for these levels), but most literature focuses on the issue with sperm count, motility, and quality leading to possible fertility problems,,but again varicocele is thought to occur in about 15% of male population. i do not have any children so i do not know if i am shooting blanks.

i was shceduled for surgery at one point but after doing some reading i decided the wait and see approach and canceled my surgery...i do not know if i regret this decision..maybe in a few years from now if i run into fertility problems i may have different thoughts.

i have some interesting literature on varicocele regarding the testicles response to LH...some thought that there may be a delayed response in those with varicoceles....delayed pulsatile release of testosterone...i will try and post a few things that are hard to find info later this week..i am swamped with work and have massive amounts of work to type...9 pages tonight..all medical stuff regarding the prostate and patient with multiple HTN drugs and tamsulosin and proscar for prostate issues bladder irrigation and possible hypotension issues,,renal problems you name it......got to go now..

 

[nodiggitydave]

Lanky I can't thank you enough for that post.. very interesting and somewhat putting my mind to rest

Are you on any sort of AAS?

I haven't been to the doctors yet about it, should I?

 

[lanky]

i am not on any steroids.

As for the "should i go to the doctor"....very good question..that is up to you,,it would be a wise choice to see a urologist and discuss your concerns, he will do a general assessment asking questions regarding your sexual function any "heavy" feeling in the testicle or pain various questions on sexual functioning and if you use a condom during intercourse blah blah blah...he will the do one or two test where he tries to fit each testicle through a plastic ring(painless) to determine size difference between the two testicles. he may want to do a schedule an ultrasound(painless)(hot nurse/ultrasound technician rubs warm ultrasound gel on your scrotum, i actually got a boner when i was 13 when i had it done, of course at that age if the wind blows i had a hard on..lol) where they have better accuracy on determing size(with ultrasound) and can measure bloodflow in the varicocele. You can ask him regarding testosterone levels,,but 99% of the time they will say that is not an issue. persist that it is a concern of yours and you would like to get it checked,be firm... your best bet is to educate yoursellf on the subject before going into the office and write down a few questions on a small card while you think of them because most patients in general once they get in the doctors office get a little nervous and forget to ask some important questions that they had..

again, this is a relative common finding in men,,if you look around a crowded room of guys at school, work, at the bar...at least a few have a varicocele, some know they have it, some dont...some may have had surgery,,some might have not

Each doctor has his/her own idea on how they like to treat varicoceles..some use the wait and see approach..some are very agressive treatment when initially found in early puberty..

bag of worms

 

[Homer07]

40% of male infertility is due to varicocele or vericocele veins.There is lot of debate about this. Men who are above 30 years of age and undergone treatment of vericocele either thro' surgery or medication treatment have shown lots of improvement. And 85% of those who have shown improvements had long vericocele on both left and right sides. Many studies show, treatment of varicoele results in improved situations in low sperm count or poor semen quality.Varicocele is a male disorder with higher incidences in younger men. It is also said to be the cause of infertility in certain men. It occurs because the valves are not able to prevent backflow of blood which can cause dilatation of the veins.Also i found more information here http://www.mynetpharma.com/varicocele.html