r/varicocele

M24, struggling with fertility (2m) . Just had an ultra scan to check for varicocele and it came back all veins are okay no varicocele or hydrocele can been seen and no abnormal fluids .

The only thing the doctor taking scan noted that there was ‘heterogeneous echotexture due to anechoic cystic lesion in head portion’ in the right epididymis but he said that is no issue or concern for fertility.

Testes size the right testies 40x18x24 mm. The left testis measures 40x17x22 mm.

High fsh in my hormone tests (14.2)

What routes can I take ? Shall I get a second scan or not worth it . Currently just switched to going private so all out of my pocket from this moment on on my fertility journey

22M, I had my surgery in December 2025 on my left testicle and the pain and swelling have been getting better, no more swelling, and very little pain. But about 2 weeks ago I noticed the swelling coming back along with the pain, and I think my testicle is getting smaller (I can't really tell because the swelling and it hurts to touch). But from what I can feel, it feels smaller. The swelling kind of goes around the testicle, so it's hard to feel. I went to the urologist today and they ran a urine test which came back negative for bacteria and normal in everything else. She gave me Cipro to take thinking it might be epididymitis. I haven’t taken it yet but I will. She said if the swelling gets worse or the pain comes back or if it doesn’t clear up in 2 weeks, we will do an ultrasound. I am just looking for advice if anyone else has been through this or what it could be. Thank you!🙏

I have recently started becoming sexually active, (M19) and noticed that my erections tend to get exhausted after five minutes or so. I know it's not nerves because I've been in this relationship for almost four months and I'm madly in love with my partner. I have been living with a varicocele in my left testicle for a little over four years, (not sure the level) and I've got a varicocelectomy scheduled for early June. I guess I'm just wondering if that behavior is tied to my varicocele, or a different issue that needs to be addressed. I feel my penis overheat and then it's done. Like, literally get hot to the touch. I've been reading through this sub for a few weeks and all the stories about erection quality improving after surgery has gotten me really excited for the future. I would like to hear if anyone has or is in the same boat as me, and if surgery helped it.

Hey everyone,

25yo

I was recently diagnosed with a mild varicocele and my doctor told me it doesn’t require any treatment for now. The thing is, I’m still dealing with this dull discomfort in my left testicle that sometimes even seems to radiate down toward my left leg/foot. it’s annoying and honestly stressful

I’m trying to understand what to expect long term. Has anyone here actually managed to get rid of this kind of discomfort without surgery? Or does it usually only go away if you get a procedure done?

Also, I have come across some posts saying that even after surgery, the pain didn’t fully go away for some people which makes me bit depressed

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences, what worked for you, what didn’t and how you decided what to do

Thanks

Hey everyone, long time lurker first time posting. I genuinely need some help from people who have been through this.

When I was in my mid 20s a doctor casually mentioned I had a varicocele. No pain, no partner at the time, no immediate plans for kids — so I did what a lot of young guys do. I googled it for 10 minutes, told myself I'd deal with it later, and completely forgot about it.

Later is now. I am in my early 30s, not yet married but hoping to be soon, and over the past year things have started going wrong in ways I cannot ignore anymore. Erectile dysfunction that came out of nowhere. Concerns about my sperm quality. And when I started researching seriously for the first time, everything kept pointing back to that varicocele I walked away from 8 years ago.

The more I read the more it made sense. The heat damage to the testicles. The oxidative stress building up over years. The Leydig cells that produce testosterone slowly getting damaged. I genuinely had no idea any of this was happening silently in the background while I was just living my life.

I want to be honest about where I am emotionally with this. It is a lot to process. I feel like I let myself down by not taking it seriously when I was younger. But I am not here to feel sorry for myself. I want to fix this properly.

Here is what I am already doing before seeing anyone:

Getting a scrotal Doppler ultrasound done locally to confirm the varicocele and check blood flow. Getting a full hormonal panel including testosterone, LH, FSH, estradiol, prolactin, SHBG, thyroid, and vitamin D. My plan is to walk into whatever specialist I choose with all my data already in hand rather than starting from zero.

Now here is where I need your help.

I have been researching specialists and Dr. Marc Goldstein at Weill Cornell keeps coming up as the guy who literally invented the modern microsurgical varicocelectomy technique. The outcomes data around him is honestly impressive. But looking at his fees and the New York cost of everything, he is on the expensive side and I want to know if there is someone who delivers the same or similar results who people here have actually experienced firsthand.

I am not asking anyone to make my decision for me. I just want real human experiences from people who have actually sat in these doctors offices and come out the other side.

A few specific things I would love to hear from you:

Did anyone wait several years before getting their varicocele treated and still see meaningful recovery in sperm quality and testosterone afterward?

Has anyone been treated by any of the top microsurgeons in the US and what was your actual honest experience with them, not just the medical outcome but the whole process?

Who would you personally go to today if you were starting over knowing what you know now?

How long did it actually take before you noticed real improvements in the bedroom and in your energy levels after surgery?

I am fully committed to sorting this out. I am not looking for shortcuts. I just want to make the right call and I think the people in this community probably know more about this from lived experience than anything I can find on a medical website.

Any advice means a lot. Thank you.

Hi guys i had varicocele grade 1, 3 years ago due to edging for long hours, and i should have stopped edging but i did not, so it increased grade 1.5 years ago. I am currently 21 years old, will turn 22 this September 2026, i have not taken doppler test yet, i had only showed it to a doctor and he told not to worry much and judged it to be grade 2. But 4 months ago i checked that my left testicle has become really small, like very small, and it is depressing me very much. I cant tell my parents due to personal reasons, i will manage the money to get surgery done, what would guys advise me about the surgery, should i wait till i get a job- currently still studying, or go for the surgery?

I’m 17, suspecting I have a varicocele on right side. I heard it lowers testosterone, so I’m curious if that stunts my growth. I also want to know how to non surgically resolve this. I also dont want my fertility affected.

For reference, my height is 6’0-6’1 and I’ve never had a growth spurt, its only been gradual. I have no facial hair. I have high pitch voice. I have low muscle mass. I’m skinny fat. I only could release sperm at 15.

26M I can't for the life of me get health insurance no matter what I do at work. I dont wanna wait to maybe get approved for insurance later in the year. I was given a "decent" amount of money from my late father's life insurance and I'll probably just pay out-of-pocket for procedures soon. But I live in the USA where it is insanely expensive for treatment. I was curious what some of y'all know about medical tourism? Where could I seek varicocele treatments outside the US? How does one go about getting care abroad? What should I look for and what should l expect?

thank you

thank you

Any recommendations for a urologist that does this procedure in northern NJ? Willing to travel to Manhattan as well but only if I have to.

23M, so I finally pulled the trigger. Was diagnosed with Grade 2 (left side) about a year ago. After 3 different tests showing my count and morphology were taking a hit, my doc said it’s time for surgery. I had the microsurgery yesterday morning (April 18th). It’s been like 14-15 hours now and the meds are wearing off, so I’m starting to feel that stinging pain and some redness around the incision.

My check-up is in 6 days. Right now I can walk around the house a bit and sit down, but honestly, I'm not sure if I should just stay in bed and chill or if moving around is better?

Would love to hear some post-op tips from anyone who's been through this. Does icing really help? When does the pain usually peak?

thanks.

A Very well known andrologisit referred me(33 M) to this pain management center and they did this procedure on me.

I know what is botox but this other thing they did Caudal+ Ganglion Impar block i have no idea about. Does anyone had this procedure on them .

I was recently diagnosed with left varicocele. I only started feeling the dull pain and knot of veins after starting gym recently. Ultrasound showed a 4mm dilation on the left (so Grade III). My hormone tests came back normal, while sperm concentration was low.

Anyway, I am in the UK so trying to get a urologist appointment which god knows how long it would take. In the mean time, i wanted ro understand what effect if any can gymming have on my condition?

Hi

i got varicocele last year, g3 on left side and g2 on right, both testicles atrophied, left is like 50% smaller than it used to be and very soft/mushy

i only got surgery on left side bcs urologist said the right side is minimal even tho its become smaller.

my hormones were normal range, testostrone 25.5 nmol, fs and lsh were both like 3-4, thats strange because i clearly had damage, so it took me a while to find a good urologist that was willing to operate. sperm analysis was good also, like 400mil count, morphology normal aswell.

i got surgery bcs ive trained every day for 10+ years and started getting erection problems, started losing muscle mass and overall felt depressed for no reason, low confidence etc, didnt want it to progress further but ive had atrophy on left for more than 1 year so i hope there is some catch up growth, im 25 years old. also i couldnt work out without feeling heavy pressure in my testicles, the varicocele worsend a lot when i worked out and thats like 30% of my life.

just woke up from surgery, to my suprise i almost have 0 pain, like 2/10 on the incision site but other than that im good, very sore and painful to touch incision site tho which is expected.

i live in a small country with 1 mil people in eastern europe, most urologist only do laparoscopic and open surgery here but i found a top urologist who does microscopic ligation.

to be honest i expected more pain after waking up, my painkillers that they IV-d me is almost gone and i feel complitely sober. i got circumsized 2 years ago and was in like 8/10 pain after waking up.

i went to 2 different urologist first and they literally just touched my testicles and said that its g0-g1 and that its nothing and to forget about it and live your life, no ultrasound or nothing, like many here, i got the experience of bad urologist who dont know about varicoceles or just dont care about patients.

i would reccomend to get surgery as soon as u can, we clearly know our testicles better than anybody else and if u see shrinking and feel symptoms of low t even though tests are good, i would still go for surgery, just find a good urologist who knows what hes doing bcs that changes a lot.

i will update in a week how im feeling, i also have bell clapper deformity of left testicle as confirmed by urologist.

i will see how recovery goes and will get right side fixed aswell, luckily its not as bad as my left side, my last testostorone test 2 months ago was still 24.3 nmol even though both testicles have shrinked.

thanks for reading and good luck!

Edit: i forgot to mention that my urologist said my varicocele was one of the biggest ones he has ever operated, a big clump of veins on top of testicle and under the testicle got ligated

Hi everyone im 23yo i just wanna have opinions if anyone is having the same case as mine ! I was diagnosed with varicocele type1 on left testicule ! Saw two doctors both told me its okey and its not to worry about ( did the echo doppler and the spermogramme )

But im actually feeling pain(not so hard but still when i stay standing) and discomfort (its like 80% of the time)

Actually i have ocd so im big on stressing myself i think im stimulating the pain!

Idont know what do does anyone have been in same position or anyone have an advice?

Thanks a lot !

My journey so far I’m 26 and I’ve been struggling with varicocele my whole life but progressively it has gotten worse. I had my first procedure back in 2022 it was an embolisation i was fine for a few months then the sack of worms came back and my morning wood disappeared. I’m not sure if it’s anything to do with me going on a lads holiday a month after surgery and going on a bender for 7 days and also I used to smoke marijuana most days. Or if i have more underlying issues but pain wise the procedure had helped massively. But unfortunately my symptoms of low test wouldn’t resolve so I went for a blood test and i was given trt to help which has improved my life massively. Only issue now is i have a girlfriend and i want to start a family does anyone reckon i could potentially have nut cracker syndrome or should i just get another varicocele procedure?

M24 . I am going private to check for varicocele which I think I definitely have.

My reasons to think High fsh (14.2) Astrophy Ed Worm feeling. Confirmed low fertility (2million)

Currently with androlgy hospital uk under nhs it’s taken 4 months from my SA to get my hormones tested which just came back and still no next appointment given so I’m going private I think . My questions is what can I expect in terms of pricing in the uk from start to finish ? and what the chances of my fertility getting to normal and conceiving naturally? And is there any suggestions for uk based clincs where you or someone you know has had surgery and had success ? Thanks

I had stage 3 varicocele and got surgery 5 days ago, there was a vein so large, I could trace it.

Now 5 days after surgery and the swelling subsided, the vein is still there, and still filling up and emptying after standing/sitting.

Only difference is in pain, I no longer feel heaviness or pain.

is this normal ? surgeon brushed it off and didn't even listen to me properly.

Hey everyone,

I just joined this group and wanted to share my experience + ask a few questions.

About 5 weeks ago, I had a left-sided inguinal varicocelectomy (vein ligation under general anesthesia). I have a bilateral varicocele (grade 1 on the right, grade 3 on the left), but they only operated on the left side and didn’t touch the right.

I’m 39y old.

I didn’t really have pain before surgery — it was more a fertility issue. My sperm parameters are clearly below average (not terrible, but definitely not great). It took us 3 years to have our first child, and for the second one we’re trying to improve things.

For context, my varicocele was quite visible — the classic “bag of worms” above the testicle.

Recovery:

Overall, it’s been pretty smooth.

- Some pain the first few days, but very manageable

- No opioids — just alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen

- By the end of week 1: barely needed any pain meds

- At 3 weeks: follow-up appointment, small hematoma but nothing concerning

- Now (5 weeks): still a bit of pulling/tightness sometimes, but nothing major

The incision looks clean and pretty discreet.

One thing that really made a difference:

Wearing a jockstrap. On days I don’t wear one, I can definitely feel more pulling/discomfort by the end of the day.

My questions:

1. Did any of you keep wearing a jockstrap after surgery?

   → For how long?

   → Did it actually help long term?

2. About the visual aspect:

My doctor told me at the 3-week check that it’s normal for the “bag of worms” to still be there, and that it can take months for the veins to shrink.

→ Did you notice a real visible improvement after 6 months / 1 year?

3. Fertility-wise:

→ Did your semen parameters improve after surgery?

→ If yes, how long did it take?

Thanks a lot in advance for your feedback 🙏

And good luck to everyone dealing with this — not the easiest topic, but it really helps to share experiences.

68yo male, diagnosed with varicocele on left. It is most painful during hiking as I get tired, around 5 to 10 miles, especially after climbing 500 to maybe 1000 feet. It’s a steady aching pain like “blue balls” and taking 3 ibuprofen every 3 to 4 hours helps but doesn’t eliminate it. I also have brief but very intense tearing, burning pains along the fold alongside my penis & scrotum on the left, especially just after hiking while driving home if I cough or when I get out of the car. It’s bad enough I always yelp.

My question: do others get this kind of pain with varicocele, or should I pursue this as a separate issue, maybe with a general surgeon rather than my urologist?

In several ways this tearing pain better matches inguinal hernia symptoms. Not only that, the vulnerability to inguinal hernia is greatest during birth, and during the 60s — and I did have one on the right after birth which was repaired in 1957 (during the black rubber gloves and talcum powder age of surgery, when infants went through surgery without anesthesia, which fortunately I can’t remember). So, it seems I’m predisposed to have a hernia there. For that matter, I have a small umbilical hernia they say doesn’t need repair, as well as an on-and-off hiatal hernia. On the other hand, I've never seen or felt a bulge there, which suggests it's not a hernia.

Thank you!