Varicocele

[aid821]

Hi everyone

As a teenager an ultrasound revealed i had a varicocele on the left side of my testicle. I was told then it was harmless and as long as there was no pain, nothing would need to be done about it.

I'm now in my late 20's and have been having pain in that area and after a recent trip to my doctor, have discovered it is a grade 4 (out of 5). I never knew this previously. I went for an ultrasound today and pick up my results tomorrow to see what's going on.

Has anyone had a varicocele before and what treatments have you been given?? Has it affected your sperm quality?? Any info would be appreciated.

[Touchet]

Make sure you doctor checks for nutcracker syndrome.  I have the same thing you have and have been having lots of pain.  The doctors just want you to live with it.  I recently found out through research that they SHOULD check for this syndrome if a variococle is present although almost NONE of them do.  Nutcracker syndrome is painful because basically the blood flow is being cut off from you testicle.

[solace21]

Hi,
   I forgot to ask you, if you had any specific reason for the varicocele, like cycling, horse riding, motorbike riding or daily sitting for long hours? Since it is basically a circulation problem in the veins, some method of increasing the  blood circulation should help, like some medications that may dilate the blood vessels or some yoga postures that will ease the blood circulation to the groin area.You could Google for '  Yoga for varicocele ' and get more details of Yoga postures beneficial for this condition. Some of the postures that are recommended are  sarvangasana , savasana, sirsasana , which are basically  flat or inverted  body positions to use gravity to compensate for the congestions on blood vessels due to the normal head up positions.Incidentally, these postures would also relax the lymphatic system, which will be beneficial in this case.If you can find a good Yoga teacher in your area, may be you can try this method of treatment.
Solace

[aid821]

Thanks for your responses.

It was a bit of a worry when after comparing ultrasounds from 2007 to today and finding that it has grown larger. As i mentioned, i've had the varicocele since i was 17 (possibly earlier) and have no pain until now. Tim, i've got to say theres no way i can wear boxers, it's briefs all the way for me. Like you said, i guess it just a waiting game in regards to sperm quality/quantity and if there's a need for surgery. Thaks again.

[timrt]

Hi,

I have a varicocele on my left testicle.I have minor discomfort for years,it comes and go's.

My main pain associated with the varicocele was pain in my left leg.It was like have constant rheumatism.
I went to see an urologist,who mentioned the various options for treatment.But before I went I stopped wearing supportive underpants and now wear boxers.
Apart from a few minor twinges,in my testicle,I dont suffer with any noticable pain or discumfort.
This confused the Dr as you are suppose to wear tightish pants to help support the testicle.
If things stay as they are,I wont be returning for any type of operation.

Hope this helps,Tim

ps,I also asked about sperm counts,he said unless you try for a child there's no real way to find out if  the sperm quality has been affected

[solace21]

Hi,
    Even though I have no direct experience, as I read from internet sources, varicocele of testes is quite common and in allopathy surgery is the only treatment. However, it is mostly advised not to go for surgery as far as possible, because of the possible complications from surgery and it is also said that fertility is not generally affected by this condition. Have a look at the following link for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicocele

I understand that in alternative medicines there are some medicines available for general varicocele condition, but do not know whether the same is applicable to testes. In any case, it may be worth checking out this route. In case surgery is required, ensure that you get it done by surgeons well experienced in testicular surgeries as it is a  very sensitive body part.

Solace