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Varicocele

Varicocele · Varikokéla

male only

What it is

Swollen veins in the scrotum — like varicose veins — usually on the left; a common cause of poor sperm quality — repair improves the count, its effect on births is less certain.

Symptoms & signs

  • Feels like a 'bag of worms' above the testis
  • dull ache or heaviness after standing
  • smaller left testis
  • often no symptoms
  • low sperm count

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Sudden severe testicle pain
  • see a doctor soon A varicocele that appears suddenly on the right or in a man over 40
  • see a doctor soon A varicocele that does not empty when lying down
  • see a doctor soon A testicle that is shrinking or trouble conceiving after a year

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Leave alone if painless and fertility is fine
  • microsurgical varicocelectomy
  • radiological embolisation
  • semen analysis before and after

Natural & lifestyle

  • Supportive underwear
  • keep the scrotum cool — no hot baths or laptops on the lap
  • weight control

Emerging & experimental

  • Antioxidant therapy after repair
  • sclerotherapy techniques

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Antioxidants (vitamins C and E, zinc, CoQ10, L-carnitine) for sperm quality — trials disagree; a large 2020 trial in infertile men (MOXI) found no more births mixed evidence
  • Horse chestnut (escin) — Chinese trials improved sperm and pain early / small studies
  • Cold showers and scrotal cooling — anecdotal; cooling is biologically plausible anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes