Varicocele: symptoms

Varicocele is a varicose veins of the spermatic cord, its groinlike plexus. Until now, it is not clear - how the mechanism of spermatogenesis is disturbed, whether varicocele leads to infertility, what is the optimal age for surgical treatment varicocele and others.

Thirty percent of people who suffer from infertility are diagnosed with this disease. In one of the first places among the causes of male infertility is precisely varicocele, the symptoms of which have been erased so much that for the first time it can be detected only on examination during examination for infertility. Only ten percent of people with varicocele feel either pain in the scrotum, or a feeling of discomfort in the area of the spermatic cord, which usually increase after exercise.

Most varicocele develops on the left (up to eighty percent of cases), less frequently - bilateral varicocele, and right-sided there is only four percent of cases. With age, its symptoms become more frightening, for example, hypoplasia (a decrease in size) of the testicle develops, which can result in its complete atrophy, possibly also aggravated with age, a violation of spermatogenesis, impotence is not excluded.

The most common among practicing specialists is the classification of this disease:

• Varicocele 1 degree - when performing palpation of the scrotum, a positive result is seen on the Valsalva specimen, but the veins are not palpable in the spermatic cord;
• Second degree - varicose-dilated veins during palpation of the scrotum are palpable easily;
• Third degree - varicose-dilated veins are well defined even during visual inspection.

By the way, the degree of varicocele is not related to the degree of impaired spermatogenesis, which means that even at its first degree the spermogram can be significantly impaired, which means that surgery will be required to treat this disease.

Varikotsele. Symptoms

This disease occurs in most cases is almost asymptomatic, but it is worth paying attention to some signs that speak about possible troubles in the near future:

• Sagging of the scrotum, which becomes most noticeable during walking and in hot weather;
• Sensation of heaviness in the scrotum and in the groin;
• Pulling, dull pain in the groin, in the testicle and along the entire length of the spermatic cord during walking and lifting weights;
• Permanent general weakness, increasing disability;
• Disorders in the genital area, a decrease in the testicle;
• Deterioration of the appearance of the scrotum (unaesthetic).

Dull, pulling or stitching pain and a burning sensation of the testicle, radiating into the perineum, lower back and into the penis, can also be attached.

In the diagnosis of varicocele, the symptoms and complaints may not help, only after the spermogram has been disturbed, that is, after the appearance of complications, the presence of this disease is revealed. Therefore, for the timely diagnosis is important to the complexity of the survey, namely:

• Anamnesis collection;
• Physical examination;
• Laboratory tests, which include, in addition to the spermogram, also a study of the level of hormones;
• The ultrasound is also performed according to the indications.

Varicocele does not necessarily lead to infertility, but such complication is quite possible. The course of this disease can be divided into three conditional stages:

1) From sixteen to twenty-five years. Normospermia: if there are any small changes in the quality of sperm, they do not affect the possibility of conception.

2) From twenty-five to thirty-five years. A mild pathospermia: the spermogram can deteriorate or improve, it is possible to conceive a child naturally by coinciding with the period of improving the quality of sperm with the period of ovulation in the partner.

3) Persistent pathospermia: the quality of sperm is consistently lowered, it is impossible to conceive naturally.

Given that there are such formidable complications, it is necessary to identify varicocele, the symptoms of which may not even be of particular concern, as soon as possible, contact a specialist for help.