Couples at the beginning stages of seeking help at a fertility clinic will generally begin by having some basic testing to try to get to the root of the problem of not being able to conceive.  Women usually begin by having blood work and a hysterosalpingogram. Men usually start their testing by giving a sperm sample for analysis.

When giving a sperm sample, the doctors look at various aspects of the sample including quantity and quality such as mobility and motility.  Men who have a low sperm count will have additional testing to see if they can discover what is causing the sperm count to be low.  Low sperm count can be the result of many things including hormonal reasons and physiological reasons.

A majority of male infertility cases are diagnosed as Vericoceles.  In fact, they are the leading cause of male infertility and male secondary infertility problems.  Vericoceles are essentially varicose veins in the spermatic cords.  When Vericoceles occur, they cause blood to pool in the testes.  This then causes the temperature to increase in the testes.  It is believed that this higher temperature causes sperm production to decrease, leading to fertility problems.

Vericoceles can occur in either the right or left testes, but are typically seen in the left testes.  Fortunately, unlike many other male fertility diagnoses, Vericoceles can be treated by surgery.  Doctors will typically treat Vericoceles by performing a Surgical Varicocelectomy.  This is now mainly done as outpatient surgery with minimal cutting and scarring involved.  Essentially what happens in this surgery is the vein is cut above the Vericocele and is tied.  The blood is then rerouted through healthy veins, thus allowing for good blood flow and keeping the blood from pooling in the testes.

There will be some minor discomfort and pain after this procedure.  Most doctors will prescribe pain medication for a few days after the surgery.  You can expect to be off work for at least 3-4 days so that you can rest and heal.  Some men have said that they needed less time and others said they experienced more pain and actually needed 5-7 days for recovery.  Either way, you should avoid heavy lifting for about one week after the surgery.

Studies show that sperm quantity should improve by four months after the surgery and in some cases sperm quantity has improved greatly in the first month.  Almost 50% of men having the surgery have achieved a pregnancy with their partner.  The percentage is even higher for couples experiencing secondary infertility due to Vericoceles.  There is a chance that you could experience problems with Vericoceles in another vein in the future.  Subsequent surgeries have proven successful for future pregnancies.

When you go to your doctor, be sure to discuss Vericoceles diagnostic testing if they do not offer it first.  Despite research that shows the surgery can be successful to help with male fertility problems, some doctors do not feel that there is enough evidence to support the surgery.  If they aren’t willing to explore it, I would encourage you to get a second opinion and to do more research on your own to give you more information about Vericoceles and Surgical Varicocelectomies.  The more knowledge you have on the subject, the more comfortable you will be with discussing this option with your doctor.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 28th, 2006 at 4:33 am and is filed under Fertility. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.