Overview of The Varicocele Treatment for Infertility
Most often, varicoceles appear in the left testicle and affect around 15 percent of all men and 40 percent of those with known fertility problems. Varicocele is the enlargement of the varicose veins in the scrotum.
The surgical procedure for correcting varicocele is done on an outpatient, has as purpose the improvement of man's fertility and it requires only a little incision in the lower abdomen, where the testicles started descending from to identify the veins that cause it and eliminate the blood flow that produced it.
A non-surgical alternative for varicocele correction is percutaneous embolization. A catheter is inserted through a large vein in the groin to reach the varicocele and block it with medication, a balloon or a coil.
What comes after surgery?
Because the varicocele correction is done on an outpatient, you will only spend 4 hours at the clinic and then you will receive pain medication for a few days, which will make able to restart light work in 1-2 days and full recovery within a week.
What are the reasons for this procedure?
Varicocele's effect on the fertility is not fully understood but it is supposed that through the raising of the temperature in the testicles, it kills or at least damages the sperm. The procedure of varicocele correction is used when both varicocele and sperm impairment are affecting fertility and it is quite controversial because some experts believe its treatment has no effect on fertility.
What are its rates of improvement over fertility?
Some specialists say that varicocele correction has a benefic effect on fertility and increases the chances to achieve pregnancy while others believe it that the procedure shows no improvement over the rates of success.
What are the risks involved?
- - Damage to the arteries or nerves in the pubic area
- - Infection at the site of surgery
- - Buildup of fluid in the scrotum (hydrocele) that requires draining
The procedure of varicocele correction is quite controversial because some experts believe its treatment has no effect on fertility. Yet, a different opinion says that sperm problems may worsen over the time if they are caused by large varicoceles.
Small varicoceles that only show on ultrasound testing need no correction.