Varicocele Specialists.com - What effects does a varicocele have?

Your guide to the nation's top varicocele doctors,
and what to know before you go.

How does varicocele affect me?

It may cause infertility through a significant decrease in the quality and quantity of the sperm. (For more in-depth information on Semen Analysis, how they are done and what they indicate, go to MaleInfertilitySpecialists.com).
It may cause damage to the testicles; they may not grow appropriately. This damage is progressive - it will often worsen over time.

If an adolescent has a one sided varicocele, the testis on that side may not develop as much as the other side and may be significantly smaller. This is a serious consideration because smaller testis generally produce significantly less sperm than normal sized testis. If the varicocele is repaired during adolescence, the testis may experience catch up growth and normalize in size. If it is repaired at a later age, the testis will not improve in size, though it may often improve in sperm production. The sperm production, however, will still not improve to the same extent it would have had it been repaired earlier.

It may cause discomfort leading to a heavy dragging feeling in the scrotum.
The testis, besides making sperm, also makes testosterone, the main male hormone. Testosterone is responsible for a man's "secondary male characteristics" (i.e., increased muscle mass and tone, level of sexual interest, body hair). Varicoceles can damage the cells that make testosterone and may lead to a decreased overall testosterone level.