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VARICOCELE...can it effect testosterone?

hey guys. registered on the site mainly because of this thread.

did anyone found out they had varicocele because of a dilated vein they had UNDER their testicle? every description\picture i see on the internet seems like inflated veins on top on testicle, which I have too, but there is always that vein that i can really feel is detached from my testicle, but its always hanging while im standing. i went to see an incompetent doctor who basically told me it looked like a varicocele, and made me an appointment for an ultrasound, but its kinda long since they call me back so i wanted to get u guys input.

also i just learned that my gf just got pregnant, which is a great news, but I am still wondering if I want to go for the embolization. I think I do, because I am afraid of the consequences it might have on my body long term. If I decide to not go for the embolization, is there anything we can naturally do to help with the varicocele and make sure it doesnt get bigger with time?
 
Leon Kennedy said:
So is all the discomfort gone?
Click to expand...

yes. the ache i had 5-10 days a month went away almost immediately, but for the next 9 months my balls were more sensitive than before, so any jostle or bump was a bit more noticed. In the past 3 months that sensitivity has gone away as well.

mooney said:
nice...yeah, i had it friday. friday, saturday, and sunday i pretty much bummed out and felt pretty damn sore.

still sore, but nothing crazy. went out and walked about a mile. made me feel good...making sure i wear the jock strap they gave me.
Click to expand...

Good deal just take it easy, you definitely do not want to induce a hydrocele by rushing it. That jock strap was bizarre especially with the ice pack stuffed into it...
 
v4lu3s said:
yes. the ache i had 5-10 days a month went away almost immediately, but for the next 9 months my balls were more sensitive than before, so any jostle or bump was a bit more noticed. In the past 3 months that sensitivity has gone away as well.



Good deal just take it easy, you definitely do not want to induce a hydrocele by rushing it. That jock strap was bizarre especially with the ice pack stuffed into it...
Click to expand...


thanks...ok need to google hydrocele now i guess...wtf? i'm sick of these 'celes as it is. now there is another kind?

i'll take it easy. I assume walking slowly is ok...

yeah, they send you home all packed like a box of frozen steaks. The jock, ice bag, and that gauze stuffing. I took that gauze out second day, wasn't sure if i was supposed to leave it in.

I have to say, my biggest challenge so far: bowel movement. I didn't #2, for two straight days. Finally by the third day i did, but it was stressful/uncomfortable. Was hating any strain.
 
goldenfx said:
hey guys. registered on the site mainly because of this thread.

did anyone found out they had varicocele because of a dilated vein they had UNDER their testicle? every description\picture i see on the internet seems like inflated veins on top on testicle, which I have too, but there is always that vein that i can really feel is detached from my testicle, but its always hanging while im standing. i went to see an incompetent doctor who basically told me it looked like a varicocele, and made me an appointment for an ultrasound, but its kinda long since they call me back so i wanted to get u guys input.

also i just learned that my gf just got pregnant, which is a great news, but I am still wondering if I want to go for the embolization. I think I do, because I am afraid of the consequences it might have on my body long term. If I decide to not go for the embolization, is there anything we can naturally do to help with the varicocele and make sure it doesnt get bigger with time?
Click to expand...

I think there are some things I would suggest for how not to make it worse: never be constipated and never strain. I am convinced I caused my own varicocele through constipated straining. Also, be careful with weight-training. Some doubt it, but some guys think they caused or made varicocele worse through heavy lifting, and the strain, if you think about it, is similar to the abdominal straining from constipation.

Eat a healthy diet, drink water, plenty of fruit and veg. I think some processed foods may may my varicoceles worse, but I'm not sure.

Don't sit around too much - long car journeys and desk jobs may make it worse. Go for a walk. I find that helps.

mooney said:
thanks...ok need to google hydrocele now i guess...wtf? i'm sick of these 'celes as it is. now there is another kind?

i'll take it easy. I assume walking slowly is ok...

yeah, they send you home all packed like a box of frozen steaks. The jock, ice bag, and that gauze stuffing. I took that gauze out second day, wasn't sure if i was supposed to leave it in.

I have to say, my biggest challenge so far: bowel movement. I didn't #2, for two straight days. Finally by the third day i did, but it was stressful/uncomfortable. Was hating any strain.
Click to expand...
So I hope it goes good for you. Please keep us updated - it is really good to have someone online who has just had the surgery and can let us know what it is like and what improvements they see. Ponder this: you are one of the few people in the world talking about their varicocele surgery, so your insight is valuable.
 
no problem, happy to. So, it's Tuesday evening, had the surgery Friday. As i think i mentioned earlier, feeling better every day. I think still a little swollen, and it's definitely a touch sore, but nothing bad at all.

i will check again on swelling before bed and report back. i walked a little today, nothing major. Plan to walk more tomorrow. Not being active drives me NUTS.

I've really paid attention to diet...lots of veggies, vitamin C, vitamin A, and taking two smoothies a day of my natural whey protein powder. it's loaded with glutamine, and i read many articles that talk about the healing properties of glutamine.

I really feel like paying attention to this stuff, and being careful, will help in the long run.



Leon Kennedy said:
I think there are some things I would suggest for how not to make it worse: never be constipated and never strain. I am convinced I caused my own varicocele through constipated straining. Also, be careful with weight-training. Some doubt it, but some guys think they caused or made varicocele worse through heavy lifting, and the strain, if you think about it, is similar to the abdominal straining from constipation.

Eat a healthy diet, drink water, plenty of fruit and veg. I think some processed foods may may my varicoceles worse, but I'm not sure.

Don't sit around too much - long car journeys and desk jobs may make it worse. Go for a walk. I find that helps.


So I hope it goes good for you. Please keep us updated - it is really good to have someone online who has just had the surgery and can let us know what it is like and what improvements they see. Ponder this: you are one of the few people in the world talking about their varicocele surgery, so your insight is valuable.
Click to expand...
 
This is such a sick situation. I've just spent the evening reading this WHOLE thread, trying to decide whether or not I want to get a surgery. My girlfriend got pregnant while she had been just one month off the pills, so my sperm must be pretty good. I've had the varicocele since I was 15, I am 22 now, and my balls are pretty big, the left one where I have a lot of varicose veins bigger than the right one which seems fine. In the past I've always had high sex drive, only since I started thinking about my varicocele again my interest for sex is less present, but I am pretty sure this is all in the head.

Right now, everything in me looks pretty good, even if I most definitely have a grade 3 varicocele. After reading this thread and a lot of studies on the subject (almost all of them), I still can't decide if I want to go for the surgery. Can a standard ultrasound diagnose which grade you are at, even if they look at it while you are laying? Because when I lay down all the veins dissapear.

I guess I'm just gonna have to rely on my doctor about whether or not I will get surgery, since I can't make a decision for myself. The only thing I am really worried about is my testosterone going down with age.
 
yeah, kind of a tough call. You're young, and you obviously have not been hit with fertility issues around it. I'm older but in good shape, but i had it done because my sperm analysis came back poor, and we'd been seeing if we could have a kid. I also have low T, so that was another motivator for me to get this done. I really have no idea if this varicocele, which i imagine i've had forever, had damaged my testicle, or whether it's a contributor to low T in me. I want to talk more with my doc when i go back for post surgery check up in two weeks.

For you, i bet you'd be fine waiting...maybe it depends on what you have going on. If you have a ton of free time, no hassles, maybe just get it done and out of the way now? if life is crazy and will be for the foreseeable future, i'm sure waiting a handful of years would be fine. I don't think your T levels get *crazy* effected by the varicocele. Just sort of marginally. At least that's what my doc thinks. He said i could see a 100 point jump in T (or of course there is a chance i won't see any improvement on that end).

goldenfx said:
This is such a sick situation. I've just spent the evening reading this WHOLE thread, trying to decide whether or not I want to get a surgery. My girlfriend got pregnant while she had been just one month off the pills, so my sperm must be pretty good. I've had the varicocele since I was 15, I am 22 now, and my balls are pretty big, the left one where I have a lot of varicose veins bigger than the right one which seems fine. In the past I've always had high sex drive, only since I started thinking about my varicocele again my interest for sex is less present, but I am pretty sure this is all in the head.

Right now, everything in me looks pretty good, even if I most definitely have a grade 3 varicocele. After reading this thread and a lot of studies on the subject (almost all of them), I still can't decide if I want to go for the surgery. Can a standard ultrasound diagnose which grade you are at, even if they look at it while you are laying? Because when I lay down all the veins dissapear.

I guess I'm just gonna have to rely on my doctor about whether or not I will get surgery, since I can't make a decision for myself. The only thing I am really worried about is my testosterone going down with age.
Click to expand...
 
My varicocele doesn't disappear when I lie down. I think the veins are permanently swollen/inflamed. Is anyone else the same? But sometimes it is smaller. Some mornings, I wake up with a sore varicocele, perhaps because I have been lying in such a way as to aggravate the veins.
 
Results of ultra sound came out, was diagnosed w a 2.5mm varicocele. They say it is very small, but I think I'm going to go to Isreal to get this fixed. Anyone can give me the gat-goren website and email? Can't find it using google.
 
goldenfx said:
Results of ultra sound came out, was diagnosed w a 2.5mm varicocele. They say it is very small, but I think I'm going to go to Isreal to get this fixed. Anyone can give me the gat-goren website and email? Can't find it using google.
Click to expand...

So is it just one vein that is swollen? That's a pretty small varicocele. I wonder if guys like me simply have a bunch of smaller swollen veins, or if it's just one or two large swollen veins.

If it's just one small vein and it is not causing you pain, then I would very seriously consider the risks of surgery versus any potential benefit.
 
goldenfx said:
Results of ultra sound came out, was diagnosed w a 2.5mm varicocele. They say it is very small, but I think I'm going to go to Isreal to get this fixed. Anyone can give me the gat-goren website and email? Can't find it using google.
Click to expand...

i would like to know this also please. cost of operation etc etc. thank you
 
I'm pretty sure I have testicular atrophy both sides due to bi-lateral varicoceles. The nuts are pretty small and soft a lot of the time. It saddens me greatly. Not sure if embolization is the way to go. I will see the doc next week and ask to be referred to a urologist.
 
goldenfx said:
Results of ultra sound came out, was diagnosed w a 2.5mm varicocele. They say it is very small, but I think I'm going to go to Isreal to get this fixed. Anyone can give me the gat-goren website and email? Can't find it using google.
Click to expand...

How much does it cost to have the op in Israel? What technique do they use?
 
Is it possible varicocele would cause secondary hypo somehow? I would expect it to cause primary via reduced function of the testicles, but is there some feedback mechanism by which it could decrease LH and FSH production? I am secondary but I feel like I may have varicocele above my lefty.
 
do a vasalva while lightly pinching the veins and if they swell up you may have one. if you really want to know if you have one go see a doc.
i would think that the only way to be secondary and it have anything at all to do with a varicocele would be from years of way too high LH/FSH release and low test, but i would also think that the varicocele would be so huge that it was visible from 30 feet away.
 
v4lu3s said:
do a vasalva while lightly pinching the veins and if they swell up you may have one. if you really want to know if you have one go see a doc.
i would think that the only way to be secondary and it have anything at all to do with a varicocele would be from years of way too high LH/FSH release and low test, but i would also think that the varicocele would be so huge that it was visible from 30 feet away.
Click to expand...

I don't think pinching the veins is a good idea. I'd leave well enough alone. You can palpate the veins in a gentle way and that tells you all you need to know without risking further injury to already damaged veins.
 
I think i trust my urologist more than you. Both of the ones i saw use that technique as a part of their physical exam
 
Palpating will only work on a grade 3. Wont work on a grade 2 and you can't detect a grade one through physical examination
 
v4lu3s said:
I think i trust my urologist more than you. Both of the ones i saw use that technique as a part of their physical exam
Click to expand...

You must have a very small varicocele if you need to pinch the veins whilst bearing down in order to detect it. My varicoceles are palpable lying down without doing any valsalva maneuver.
 
v4lu3s said:
Palpating will only work on a grade 3. Wont work on a grade 2 and you can't detect a grade one through physical examination
Click to expand...

Yep so I must have a grade 3 on each side. I always wondered were mine 2 or 3. Nobody ever told me.

I feel really down about this because my doctors won't take the problem seriously; they just smile and say 'enjoy your life, don't worry.' I do worry, because my testicles are smaller than before and they are often very soft. I'm going to go back to the GP but if he won't refer me to a urologist, then I will have to pay for that myself and then decide if I want to/can afford surgery.
 
I noticed a lump a few weeks after a bad hit in the crotch. Its about pea sized even lying down (level 2?). I'm mid 30s and I would have noticed if it had been there before, so I'm pretty sure the injury is the cause. Doc said it's varicocele (=V) and not to worry about it. I asked about atrophy and T levels. He said the other one would make up for any defect and V won't affect T production because only sperm is affected by temp.

It seems like most of the people who have problems have V in both. I don't like the idea of relying on just one, but I guess it works. I might consider surgery even if it's out of pocket, but only if its really going to help. So here are my questions.

How is V different if it starts as an adult?
If only one is affected will it affect T levels or will the good one compensate like the doc said?
How long does it take to significantly atrophy from medium level V? Weeks, months, years?
Does atrophy get worse and worse or does it stabilize? Does it depend on the extent of the V?
Is the damaged area more likely to suffer re-injury?
Assuming no further injury, will new veins be affected by the added strain?
Will surgery prevent atrophy and preserve T production? I've heard people say it won't usually reverse it but might prevent.
 
fathom777 said:
There is new research showing that varicoceles ARE linked to ED.
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is the researcher the same one who is the ONLY one who says correction of a varicocele leads to increased testosterone?

and to salaryman...i had NO atrophy after 20+ years of a massive grade 3 (it was visible from 20+ feet away). I have a had time believing that one hit alone caused a varicocele, my brother had some big hits in the nuts growing up, including one that had his sacks the size of grapefruits and he has no varicocele at all. Chances are you already had it and never noticed and the hit caused some swelling that made it more noticeable. You have dozens of veins coming off your testicles so loss of function of a few is not a big deal...
 
Hi everyone, I'm new here and just want to say this forum is extremely helpful.

I have had a varicocele on my left testicle for as long as I can remember, but it didn't start getting painful until I hit 30 (I'm 32 now). At least 3 days per week I'm in pain, sometimes so bad I have to walk with a limp. My urologist wasn't concerned and basically told me to take ibuprofen and live with it. Well, I have taken so much ibuprofen that I now have a stomach ulcer, and I'm at the point of using Lortab just to get through the day.

I went and saw a radiologist about having an embolization done and he was extremely helpful, I have a surgery scheduled in two weeks. My only concern is that I had a double phase abdominal CT scan due to kidney stones, and now I worry the radiation from the embolization would be too much on top of the CT. So, I now have an appointment with a new urologist in the morning to discuss microsurgery, and get a second opinion. I would much rather have the embolization due to it being less invasive, but all of that radiation does scare me.

I'm sure my varicocele is grade 3, because after a day of standing its REALLY swollen and hanging. In fact it's so bad sometimes it's hard to tell where the testicle even is. I have also started developing "spider veins" in the skin of my scrotum that look terrible. The only relief I get is lying down, but I can't lye down all day every day. As far as T levels, I haven't had it checked, but my libido is certainly lower in the past year, I can go a month without having sex and don't even have a desire to masturbate (sorry to get graphic).

I'm just ready for this crap to be over.
 
80schild said:
Hi everyone, I'm new here and just want to say this forum is extremely helpful.

I have had a varicocele on my left testicle for as long as I can remember, but it didn't start getting painful until I hit 30 (I'm 32 now). At least 3 days per week I'm in pain, sometimes so bad I have to walk with a limp. My urologist wasn't concerned and basically told me to take ibuprofen and live with it. Well, I have taken so much ibuprofen that I now have a stomach ulcer, and I'm at the point of using Lortab just to get through the day.

I went and saw a radiologist about having an embolization done and he was extremely helpful, I have a surgery scheduled in two weeks. My only concern is that I had a double phase abdominal CT scan due to kidney stones, and now I worry the radiation from the embolization would be too much on top of the CT. So, I now have an appointment with a new urologist in the morning to discuss microsurgery, and get a second opinion. I would much rather have the embolization due to it being less invasive, but all of that radiation does scare me.

I'm sure my varicocele is grade 3, because after a day of standing its REALLY swollen and hanging. In fact it's so bad sometimes it's hard to tell where the testicle even is. I have also started developing "spider veins" in the skin of my scrotum that look terrible. The only relief I get is lying down, but I can't lye down all day every day. As far as T levels, I haven't had it checked, but my libido is certainly lower in the past year, I can go a month without having sex and don't even have a desire to masturbate (sorry to get graphic).

I'm just ready for this crap to be over.
Click to expand...

Hi 80schild. Sorry to hear about your pain.

Did anything change, i.e. did you suffer a strain or a sports injury, or any other factor that you may be aware of that possibly made the varicocele worse? Did you recently take up weight training and suddenly notice the varicocele was worse?

Are you in the USA or UK?

Be careful with the Lortab. It's an opioid and that won't help your testosterone levels.

I'm not saying that the varicoceles have not had an adverse effect on your Testosterone levels (I think they do, especially larger ones) but I do think the anxiety surrounding varicoceles and the pain could put a damper on any sexual desire, regardless of Testosterone levels.

I hope you don't mind me asking these questions. But I think it is helpful to me and others as it brings out more of the anecdotal evidence about this problem. Knowing which country you live in is also interesting as it seems that the UK and USA health professionals may take a difference approach or attitude towards varicocele.
 
I'm in the USA (in Alabama). I think what started the pain was when I went jogging while wearing boxers (a dumb mistake), that pain lasted about a week. I have always had low hanging testicles, but never thought much about it until that episode. I was able to go months without any symptoms but lately it's beginning to get much more frequent. And yeah you're right about the anxiety, it kills the libido. Standing for long periods of time is what really irritates it, especially during hot weather. Sometimes I wake in the morning dreading my day if I know Im going to be on my feet a lot.

The doctors here really vary. My first urologist visit was supposed to be about this varicocele, but once they found out I had a kidney stone that's what they put their attention to, they didn't even want to talk about the varicocele anymore. The radiologist was very helpful, and he said he believes the embolization would be a success.

I guess I'll see how it goes with the new urologist in the morning, he's supposed to be experienced with robotic assisted microsurgery.
 
I just got back from the urologist, it was pretty much a useless trip. He says he was taught only to operate if there's infertility. He said he doesn't operate for pain, because likely the pain will not improve, or even get worse. I'm not sure I agree with that because what I've read online says the opposite.

Anyways, it looks like I will be keeping my appointment for the embolization on July 13th.
 
Let us know how you get on. And I hope it goes well for you whatever you decide.

From my reading, the embol is not always successful and if not it may need to be followed up with surgery.

Are you are to get a 3rd opinion on surgery?

Cornell seems to be the gold standard if you listen to their blurb. Did you read their page? Search on Google for cornell varicocele.
 
Well the first urologist I mentioned actually replaced another one that moved out of state. So, technically I have seen three different urologists now. I have come to the conclusion that they just don't want to be bothered with varicoceles. I don't know, maybe they're worried the pain won't improve, and that they'll be held responsible. Or maybe they'd rather stick to easier stuff like lithotripsies and pushing pills.

The only doctor that listened and didn't brush me off was the iv radiologist. He actually took a sheet of paper and drew me a map of the venous system to show me exactly where he would place the coils. He said if he went up high enough that the chances of recurrence are slim. I asked him about the sclerosing agent and he said he prefers not to use that, he said it can cause a burning feeling.

Searching the Internet really gets frustrating because it's mostly about fertility. Many of the posts I have read are actually women asking for their husbands. Im not planning to have kids and don't care about sperm count, I just want the pain improved.
 
Did you have any testicular atrophy? Are your nuts small or soft at any time?

Did you get your Testosterone levels checked? What was the result?
 
Low t-levels and varicoceles, need advice!

Hi guys,

Here for some opinions and guidance. I am 25 and I have had varicocele since my midteens, even had an embolization done when I was 16. The embolization seems to have had some effect, but didn't completely relieve the varicoceles, which are still there in a grade 2 or 1 (not exactly sure, but they are big enough to spot without ultrasound, which should make it a grade 2).

Until recently, the only way the thing bothered me was cosmetically, since it makes my testicles hand really low in the scrotum, especially when it is hot. I even considered surgery for this reason. Now, however, I am concerned about something much more serious. In hope of relieving my anxiety of it I had my T-levels checked a few months back, and it turned out they were quite low. The total amount was 15 and the bioactive amount of T was only 5.9. The references were 10-30 and 6,3-16 respectively. (Other people on this forum and other places often seem to use some other scale of measurement, not sure how it works).

I read online that low levels doesn't necessary mean you have a problem, since different bodies need different amounts of T. I can't really say I have very concrete symptoms of low T, although the symptoms described are so vague that they could basically apply to anyone if they are imaginative enough (such as "fatigue", "lack of vitality").

On the positive side, I am in really good shape and stronger than I have been in years. I have almost no body-fat and look like I am chiseled in stone basically.

On the other hand, I look really boyish for my age, and I never had much of a beard (though I managed to grow a decent goatee as an experiment). I have had minor erection problems in the past which I until now mostly attributed to anxiety. I also thought I noticed a somewhat lower than normal sex drive even before I had my T checked, which I then thought maybe had to do with my lifestyle at the time (frequent drinking, irregular sleeping hours). Recently, however, it seems as if the sex drive has been coming back a little, after I made a few changes in lifestyle. But it somehow seems as if it is really not "there" as much as it should. Or maybe it is all in my mind now.

How would I know what a normal sex drive is anyway? Presently I do masturbate daily and even twice or thrice, and enjoying at least the first and second time. Sometimes, I admit, I do it just to check if it "works" so to speak. When having sex, I was never able to have sex more than once or sometimes twice in a row before throwing in the towel for the night. And when reading online and listening to other people, it sometimes seems as if there sex drive is much stronger than mine. But does that mean that mine is not normal? It is also likely that many people are exaggerating I guess.

Of course I need to get my T-levels confirmed and my situation evaluated by a doctor. My problem is, however, that I presently live and work in a country (China) were you cannot expect any kind of help for these kinds of problems (I had my T:s checked at home when I was home last time). I was planning on going home to have this checked out this summer, but I am not well of at the moment financially, and the my boss wants me to stay until December if possible. In many ways, that would be a good time for me to go back, and I would have a lot of time then to have this situation evaluated. But I am worried that things will get worse (do I even have a problem? I don't know!), if I don't have it checked soon enough. So I am really ambivalent.

Of course, It would be really good to get this checked out as soon as possible; on the other hand, it would be better for me in other ways if I could hang around here until Christmas. What would anyone else do? Does it seem like I have a "normal" sex drive? Can anyone tell anything from my t-levels results how serious and urgent it could be?

Thankful for any advice.
 
Leon Kennedy said:
Did you have any testicular atrophy? Are your nuts small or soft at any time?

Did you get your Testosterone levels checked? What was the result?
Click to expand...
I had a scrotal ultrasound done about two years ago, but they didn't mention any atrophy. Honestly that left side always looks big because of the varicocele.

I haven't had my testosterone checked.
 
Im 25 and have bilateral varicoceles. The right one is a grade 1 and the left is a grade 2. I went to a urologist who ordered a sperm count and a testosterone test. I will let you all know the results. I do not think i have low testosterone but I am worried because the left testicle is slightly smaller then the right. i have had the varicoceles since i was 17. I also developed prostate problems 2 years after getting the varicoceles. I am considering going to israel to get the gat goren procedure done. Any opinions on my case?
 
Erran said:
Hi guys,

Here for some opinions and guidance. I am 25 and I have had varicocele since my midteens, even had an embolization done when I was 16. The embolization seems to have had some effect, but didn't completely relieve the varicoceles, which are still there in a grade 2 or 1 (not exactly sure, but they are big enough to spot without ultrasound, which should make it a grade 2).

Until recently, the only way the thing bothered me was cosmetically, since it makes my testicles hand really low in the scrotum, especially when it is hot. I even considered surgery for this reason. Now, however, I am concerned about something much more serious. In hope of relieving my anxiety of it I had my T-levels checked a few months back, and it turned out they were quite low. The total amount was 15 and the bioactive amount of T was only 5.9. The references were 10-30 and 6,3-16 respectively. (Other people on this forum and other places often seem to use some other scale of measurement, not sure how it works).

I read online that low levels doesn't necessary mean you have a problem, since different bodies need different amounts of T. I can't really say I have very concrete symptoms of low T, although the symptoms described are so vague that they could basically apply to anyone if they are imaginative enough (such as "fatigue", "lack of vitality").

On the positive side, I am in really good shape and stronger than I have been in years. I have almost no body-fat and look like I am chiseled in stone basically.

On the other hand, I look really boyish for my age, and I never had much of a beard (though I managed to grow a decent goatee as an experiment). I have had minor erection problems in the past which I until now mostly attributed to anxiety. I also thought I noticed a somewhat lower than normal sex drive even before I had my T checked, which I then thought maybe had to do with my lifestyle at the time (frequent drinking, irregular sleeping hours). Recently, however, it seems as if the sex drive has been coming back a little, after I made a few changes in lifestyle. But it somehow seems as if it is really not "there" as much as it should. Or maybe it is all in my mind now.

How would I know what a normal sex drive is anyway? Presently I do masturbate daily and even twice or thrice, and enjoying at least the first and second time. Sometimes, I admit, I do it just to check if it "works" so to speak. When having sex, I was never able to have sex more than once or sometimes twice in a row before throwing in the towel for the night. And when reading online and listening to other people, it sometimes seems as if there sex drive is much stronger than mine. But does that mean that mine is not normal? It is also likely that many people are exaggerating I guess.

Of course I need to get my T-levels confirmed and my situation evaluated by a doctor. My problem is, however, that I presently live and work in a country (China) were you cannot expect any kind of help for these kinds of problems (I had my T:s checked at home when I was home last time). I was planning on going home to have this checked out this summer, but I am not well of at the moment financially, and the my boss wants me to stay until December if possible. In many ways, that would be a good time for me to go back, and I would have a lot of time then to have this situation evaluated. But I am worried that things will get worse (do I even have a problem? I don't know!), if I don't have it checked soon enough. So I am really ambivalent.

Of course, It would be really good to get this checked out as soon as possible; on the other hand, it would be better for me in other ways if I could hang around here until Christmas. What would anyone else do? Does it seem like I have a "normal" sex drive? Can anyone tell anything from my t-levels results how serious and urgent it could be?

Thankful for any advice.
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You sound pretty normal to me sex-drive-wise. Men do vary in their sex drive.

You sound a bit like me. I can't grow very much facial hair. A decent goatee, but the rest is pretty sparse.

T of 15 is a little less than ideal but it also depends on when you had the test done. T tests should be done as close to 8am as possible with levels decreasing as the day goes on. Results can vary from one day to the next.

alexandrov said:
Im 25 and have bilateral varicoceles. The right one is a grade 1 and the left is a grade 2. I went to a urologist who ordered a sperm count and a testosterone test. I will let you all know the results. I do not think i have low testosterone but I am worried because the left testicle is slightly smaller then the right. i have had the varicoceles since i was 17. I also developed prostate problems 2 years after getting the varicoceles. I am considering going to israel to get the gat goren procedure done. Any opinions on my case?
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I've not heard that prostate problems have any link to varicoceles.

It is natural for the testicles to vary in size without varicoceles. If the nut is substantially smaller though, it is likely that the varicocele is responsible.
 
Thanks for the reply Leon

I also previously thought that varicoceles could not cause prostate problems but there is some new research that shows otherwise. Basically with varicoceles you can potentially have an increase in pressure in the spermatic vein that will cause blood to back flow in the prostate. Since this blood comes from the testes it is rich in testosterone and can promote prostate hyperplasia. Also the mechanical effect of having a blood engorged prostate can cause the prostate to swell. However this research comes from Dr. Gat and Dr. Goren the 2 doctors that perform surgery to correct bph symptoms caused by varicoceles. The research can be found on the gat goren clinic website. I would post the url but I am unable to do so on this site.
 
alexandrov said:
Thanks for the reply Leon

I also previously thought that varicoceles could not cause prostate problems but there is some new research that shows otherwise. Basically with varicoceles you can potentially have an increase in pressure in the spermatic vein that will cause blood to back flow in the prostate. Since this blood comes from the testes it is rich in testosterone and can promote prostate hyperplasia. Also the mechanical effect of having a blood engorged prostate can cause the prostate to swell. However this research comes from Dr. Gat and Dr. Goren the 2 doctors that perform surgery to correct bph symptoms caused by varicoceles. The research can be found on the gat goren clinic website. I would post the url but I am unable to do so on this site.
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Interesting. So is this Israeli treatment the microsurgical approach? Is it expensive?
 
it is like 12,000 usd i think so ya its mucho expensive, and its an embolization so its not microsurgury

if you google gat goren technique their site is the first to some up
 
alexandrov said:
it is like 12,000 usd i think so ya its mucho expensive, and its an embolization so its not microsurgury

if you google gat goren technique their site is the first to some up
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The embol is available in the UK free under the NHS. If you say you are in unacceptable pain, then you should get it.

But I take it you are not in the UK.
 
ya im in the US, and also the israeli procedure is different because its the only one that also embolizes the neighboring prostatic veins for prostate issues as well. So thats the only reason I was considering their program. But I still need to get my test results and work through some other problems before i deceide anything.
 
alexandrov said:
ya im in the US, and also the israeli procedure is different because its the only one that also embolizes the neighboring prostatic veins for prostate issues as well. So thats the only reason I was considering their program. But I still need to get my test results and work through some other problems before i deceide anything.
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I never heard about this prostatic vein thing. Is that for men with a prostate problem or do they do it to all varicocele patients?
 
Leon Kennedy said:
I never heard about this prostatic vein thing. Is that for men with a prostate problem or do they do it to all varicocele patients?
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I am not completely sure, but my impression is that if you do not have prostate problems then you dont need to worry about the prostatic vein embolization, but the gat goren technique is unique in other aspects compared to typical embolization. However I think it is preferable for certain conditions ie prostate problems, but i think a normal embolization is far more practical for typical varicocele problems
 
Do any of you have the little pinhole sized blood blisters on the skin of your scrotum? I know mine are caused by the varicocele because they're only on the left side. Just curious if the surgery helps this too.
 
80schild said:
Do any of you have the little pinhole sized blood blisters on the skin of your scrotum? I know mine are caused by the varicocele because they're only on the left side. Just curious if the surgery helps this too.
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no i dont, but they most definitely could be related to varicocele
 
Has anyone had varicocele embolization or microsurgery and found that their Testosterone level increased after the operation?

What procedure did you have and what was the increase in T afterwards?
 
I had a varicocele since I was nine years old. At 18 I had the embolization surgery and it cleared the varicrose veins but it didn't have an effect on my hormones. I felt exactly the same before and after surgery. I had blood work done, only after the surgery unfortunately, and my levels are as follows:
Free T3: 3.57 (1.71-3.71)
Free T4: 1.1 (0.6-1.6)
T3 Total: 155.80 (87-178)
B12: 831 (180-914)
Test: 765 (132-813)
Estrogen: 88 (<130)
It looks like it didn't have much of an effect on my hormones, if any at all. Not sure about the estrogen though. I do know that it had to have an affect on my libido because that is very abnormally low, so I don't know what to do about that.
 
eatdatshrimp said:
I had a varicocele since I was nine years old. At 18 I had the embolization surgery and it cleared the varicrose veins but it didn't have an effect on my hormones. I felt exactly the same before and after surgery. I had blood work done, only after the surgery unfortunately, and my levels are as follows:
Free T3: 3.57 (1.71-3.71)
Free T4: 1.1 (0.6-1.6)
T3 Total: 155.80 (87-178)
B12: 831 (180-914)
Test: 765 (132-813)
Estrogen: 88 (<130)
It looks like it didn't have much of an effect on my hormones, if any at all. Not sure about the estrogen though. I do know that it had to have an affect on my libido because that is very abnormally low, so I don't know what to do about that.
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Was your libido low before surgery? Is it low after surgery?
 
Had varicocele fixed two years ago. I'm 22 now and feel phenomenal. I got it during summer ball and was lifting one day and couldn't walk that night in pain. Thought it was hernia but turns out its varicocele.

Doc ran fertility tests and at 20 years old I had something like only 25% of what a normal guy my age should have in terms of sperm count and mortality and all the other markers of quality were diminished as well. So I went ahead and got it fixed and it was best decision of my life. Painful as all hell and uncomfortable for a week or so like you wouldn't believe, but very much worth it to be pain free and potentially fix fertility issues. Doc said stat then was like a 68% success rate and getting full fertility back with the surgery so I'm hopeful.

Now I've yet to have my follow up semen analysis but my pain is completely gone and I wear a jock strap to lift and play and feel great!! my doctor said that wearing a jock strap to hold the boys up and high while active can help ease discomfort and prevent hernia and further varicocele issues.

I will say I had a prostate infection this year and don't have any signs or symptoms of varicoceles. Just my experience and if anyone has the choice, get the damn thing fixed and ease your pain and your mind. So worth it.
 
bpclipper10 said:
Had varicocele fixed two years ago. I'm 22 now and feel phenomenal. I got it during summer ball and was lifting one day and couldn't walk that night in pain. Thought it was hernia but turns out its varicocele.

Doc ran fertility tests and at 20 years old I had something like only 25% of what a normal guy my age should have in terms of sperm count and mortality and all the other markers of quality were diminished as well. So I went ahead and got it fixed and it was best decision of my life. Painful as all hell and uncomfortable for a week or so like you wouldn't believe, but very much worth it to be pain free and potentially fix fertility issues. Doc said stat then was like a 68% success rate and getting full fertility back with the surgery so I'm hopeful.

Now I've yet to have my follow up semen analysis but my pain is completely gone and I wear a jock strap to lift and play and feel great!! my doctor said that wearing a jock strap to hold the boys up and high while active can help ease discomfort and prevent hernia and further varicocele issues.

I will say I had a prostate infection this year and don't have any signs or symptoms of varicoceles. Just my experience and if anyone has the choice, get the damn thing fixed and ease your pain and your mind. So worth it.
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Did you have microsurgery, ordinary surgery, or embolization?
 
Leon Kennedy said:
Did you have microsurgery, ordinary surgery, or embolization?
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Regular. Got a gnarly 3 inch scar on pelvis. Recovery was rough swollen balls and discolored size of tennis balls but worth it nonetheless.
 
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