How many of you have varicocele?

General Discussion
#41

I intially felt some optimism when I read some of the studies that show a significant increase in testosterone once the Varicocele is repaired. However, when you pour over the all of those posts from real guys who have had the procedure done I can’t find anyone raving about it.

I can’t even find one guy saying he feels it improved his quality of life. Many of the guys on their say that their doctors would not agree that a Varicocele can effect Testosterone levels and libido.

Never the less, I will still be seeing a Uroligist next month. I’ll mention this subject to him. I’m also going to explore some type of infection on the prostate as well. I would like to try to rule out as many things as possible, so that I can focus on what may more likely be the problem. Since my blood tests showed elevated levels of white blood cells this also may have some merit.

#42

so guys any real case where vericocele removal gave real lasting benefits.
Please guys if you have got something come and share it.

thanx

sps

#43

After going through and reading 6 pages deep into that link I posted, I have to say it doesn’t seem incredibly encouraging. There were a couple of guys stories I read. They had the procedure to take care of the varicocele and it didn’t seem to do much.

Check out this. I was reading a different thread on anabolic minds & I found this topic. This guy is making an argument that a varicocele can cause hypothyroidism.

anabolicminds.com/forum/male-anti-aging/100962-varicocele-hypothyroidism-strong.html

forum.mesomorphosis.com/mens-health-forum/varicocele-adrenal-dysfunction-hypersynthesis-134254115.html

I’ll be seeing a uroligist in a little more than week who specializes in ED problems. Hopefully, not a waste of time.

#44

thanks bostonusa2009/

#45

I think it could be part of the problem for some us, but there’s certainly no guarantee having an embolization done with resolve or improve things.

The other thing some of you guys should know is there are three stages of Varicoceles. 1 being the least bad and 3 being the worst. If you are a stage 1, you wouldn’t likely know you have this problem until you see a uroligist. I looked up pictures and descriptions online and I questioned if I really had this. Most of the pictures you see online are stage 3 and easily visible and can be felt to the hand as well.

Mine is small spiderweb looking veins on my left testicle. While I am really hestitant to do any type of procedure or surgery to fool with this, the problem is is you are a stage 1 things can progress and get worse over time. It can get to the point where the pain is very bad making it difficult to basic tasks like walking.

I’ll see what the Uroligist says about it. I’ll let you guys know what he says.

#46

Going to see a doc on March 22 about this. I dont know the severity of my case yet but im pleased that there might be some (albeit faint) hope for a spontaneous recovery. Sometimes hope is all we got to get through the day.

#47

OBJECTIVE Inhibin B is secreted by Sertoli cells in response to FSH and is the major feedback regulator of FSH secretion in man. The serum inhibin B level has emerged as a good marker of spermatogenesis and Sertoli cell function. Varicocele has been associated with infertility and disturbed spermatogenesis. We have studied the effect of varicocele treatment on serum inhibin B levels, with the aim of investigating the effect on spermatogenesis and the involvement of the Sertoli cell in varicocele pathophysiology.

DESIGN AND PATIENTS In a pre–post test design, the effect of varicocele surgery on inhibin B levels was studied in 30 infertile men.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2265.2001.01302.x/full

MEASUREMENTS Endocrinology (inhibin B, FSH, LH, SHBG and testosterone) and semen analysis (sperm concentration, motility and morphology).

RESULTS In men receiving varicocele treatment, a significant increase in serum inhibin B levels was observed from 133·9 ± 13·4 pretreatment to 167·8 ± 16·1 ng/l after treatment (mean ± SEM, P < 0·0001). No significant changes were observed in serum levels of FSH, LH and testosterone. The serum SHBG level decreased from 32·9 ± 3·5 to 28·6 ± 3·4 nmol/l (mean ± SEM, P = 0·04) and the free androgen index was significantly increased from 66 ± 5·9 pretreatment to 85 ± 6·8 after treatment (P = 0·02, mean ± SEM). Semen analysis showed a significant improvement in sperm concentration, from 6·5 ± 1·9 pretreatment to 19·3 ± 4·9 × 106/ml after treatment (P = 0·003, mean ± SEM), and in sperm motility from the baseline level of 17 ± 3 to 32 ± 4% after treatment (P = 0·001, mean ± SEM).

CONCLUSIONS Varicocele treatment can increase serum inhibin B levels, indicating improvement of spermatogenesis and Sertoli cell function. This finding suggests that the pathophysiology of varicocele involves impairment of Sertoli cell function or a different distribution of germ cell stages.

#48

Hey Guys,
This is so weird. Now I’m really scared especially since I read that Varicocele can cause infertility. I too have this: shrunken left testicle and CLEARLY enlarged vein in the left testicle too. I didn’t know what to make of this until stumbling upon this thread and now I’m really worried.

What is even stranger is that I did NOT have this issue until I started testing my theory which can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5006

Also, another thing that I noticed is after testing my theory, my testicles don’t hang nowhere near as low as where they used to. Now they’re a lot more closer to the body at nearly all times.

WTF??!?!?!?

#49

I had a varicocele on my left testicle and had it repaired. Very intresting as to weather this was caused by propecia.

#50

I have one, I remember having a partial one prior to finasterid but I do not remember the worm feeling. But not sure.

#51

Did you feel different once it was repaired.

#52

I have one on my R testicle for a long time. I never got any problem from it.

#53

I have a spermatocele and vericocele on my left testicle. I had the spermatocele all the way back to like 6th grade, but I am not sure vexactly when the varicocele appeared…

#54

has any body paid attention to the this post? according to this if inhibin B has increased then we should see improvements?
Is there any body who has his vericocele repaired?
I

#55

First time poster here.

Before anything I must thank you guys for your warnings, I was going to try finasteride, that’s a no no for me now, I’m still depressed by hair loss but I’ll deal with it.

Now the thing is I have grade 3 varicocele on both testicles and I can assure you I have some of the side-effects you guys experience; most notable are low libido, weak erections and sometime numbness in the penis. I’ve read somewhere that varicocele was not related to this symptoms but I’m not so sure anymore. Before my varicose veins were huge I was horny all the time, now not so much. I don’t have the money to get it removed by now, but there are chances I can get it for free, in case I have such luck I’ll promise I will post about it.

God bless you all.

#56

I find this interesting. I have what I believe is varicocele, as well, which developed shortly after quitting fin. Here’s a study published a few months back in the British Journal of Urology tying varicocele to androgen deficiency.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.10030.x/abstract

“Of the 70% of patients with postoperative improvement in testosterone levels, the mean (sd) increase in testosterone was 178 (142) ng/dL. The percentage change in testosterone levels was: 30% had no increase, 41% increased by ≤50%, 19% increased between by 51–100%, and 10% increased by >100%.”

The problem is the study is pretty small, with only 200 of the men in the experiment group having had testosterone levels taken before and after the operation. Nonetheless, I still think the study and this issue are worth a closer look.

Also, I know that one of the coauthors, Dr. John Mulhall, is aware of PFS issues. I’m attempting to make an appointment with him but first need to have the varicocele confirmed by another doctor. I’ll let everyone know if I’m able to move forward with the appointment and, if so, how it goes. I don’t really think varicocele is some sort of “magic bullet” for all of us, but it certainly could be part of the part of the puzzle, however small.

#57

I develpoed a varicocele is my left testicle about 10-15 days back(1 month after crashing).What should I do ?

#58

Finhelp, Scroll back through this thread and you will see a link I posted to a forum of Men who had the procedure done to remove the varicocele.

Your doctor will most likely tell you it should be removed. I prefer the opinions of people who have had the procedure done say. I read the majority of that thread and it seems the odds are quite low that it will make things better for you. Most of the men said they didn’t feel much improvement at all. Some claimed they had initial improvements in some symptoms, but the improvements faded as time progressed.

I would do plenty of research before jumping into any procedure to remove it and remember a Uroligist opinion is not objective since they plan to gain financially from you having this done.

#59

i have a very large vein/tube sort of things on the left side of my penis that was not there before my crash. Is this the same thig or something different

#60

I agree it’s wiser to trust those who have had the procedure done as opposed to doctors, but reading through the anabolicminds thread, it seems most of the guys opted for embolization. From the research I’ve done thus far, embolization doesn’t seem like the most effective procedure, as it doesn’t always succeed in closing off the affected veins. With embolization there also seems to be a higher chance hydrocele formation and varicocele recurrence.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2422974/

“A variety of approaches have been advocated for management of varicoceles but recent evidence supports the premise that the microsurgical technique is the “gold standard. In a number of studies, it has been shown that microsurgical varicocelectomy (inguinal or subinguinal) is superior to non-microsurgical procedures with respect to the development of postoperative complications such as hydrocele or recurrence.”

Also, most of the guys in the anabolicminds thread (and, I realize, a good percentage of guys on here) are concerned with varicocele repair as a measure to raise testosterone levels. Regardless of whether or not you believe higher testosterone levels can result from repair of a varicocele, the research pretty strongly shows varicocele can potentially lead to other problems like testicular atrophy, infertility, and Leydig cell death.

There’s also a recent study that claims varicocele can lead to benign prostatic hyperplasia/hypertrophy (enlarge prostate). BPH can cause reduced ejaculate volume and low libido. This research interests me, as I’m suffering from both of those issues.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0272.2008.00883.x/full

Varicocele is the enlargement of vein/s, usually in the left testicle though someone in the right. What you have seems entirely different.