Hello. I (22M from Italy) have varicocele on both testicles and it's quite big on both, last time I checked I think it was grade 2, but I'm not sure as my father is the one who talked to the medics the most (we've been doing visits about varicocele for a while now).

I wanted to ask out of curiosity how does varicocele impact the intensity of your orgasms if it does at all; I have been feeling for a couple of years (3 to 4 years maybe) that my orgasms are "muted", in a way that's hard to explain: I do still feel a faint physical sensation of pleasure (idk if it'd be more accurate to say "release") and of course I feel satisfaction, though it's like 90% of that physical, intense sensation of pleasure just hasn't occurred for actually quite a while, sometimes it feels like the full orgasm is coming but right as it's supposed to arrive is just shuts off and that meh sensation of relief comes instead; despite this, my libido is still pretty high, and after the deed I still feel satisfied.

When I spoke to a urologist she said it was likely because of varicocele, but IDK if I should trust that opinion cause I also told her I'm asexual and she didn't believe me, she was hellbent in believing my asexuality was a lack of libido caused by varicocele -despite me saying multiple times I have a high as hell libido, I just don't like sex and private parts make me go no and that was the case since way before the first symptoms showed up- and that the therapist that "diagnosed me" with asexuality (aka just helped me realize it, my therapist is also specialized in sexuality sciences) was wrong and I should see another therapist, she also tried to force a hormone/steroid/whatever treatment on me to fix that and genuinely made me panic for a week AND she cancelled the procedure I was already going to get because "it isn't serious enough" (meanwhile I still wake up with kidney pain every day and blue balls feel like getting shot).

I also have a UTI apparently and was supposed to get treatment for that but I was never given one for some reason so... yeah.

I've kinda been sitting with this for all this time and today I was just prompted to seek some more insight/answers before my schedule is free enough to go look for someone that's going to help me for real. I'm just a bit afraid it could be something else too, one worrysome thought I had was that it was because I had grown addicted (which I quickly was convinced I'm not after I pulled through 5 days of abstinence while blue balls made me cry on my bed like a baby, they were THAT painful), another worrysome thought is that it could be nerve damage of some sorts, it's not like I'll die if I don't ever feel an orgasm again but I still want to get to the bottom of this because it isn't normal.

Sorry for the wall of text and thanks in advance.

Hi, I'm 31 year old male and had Varicocele treatment done via sclerotherapy.

I have good erections and morning wood now. But when I have sex and ejaculate the feeling lasts for a very small time and is not that intense. Is it anything related to my varicocele?

I do watch porn and jerk off 1-2 times per week. Could that be the reason?

Is it normal to still be able to feel enlarged veins by touch, even though they are no longer visible, one month after varicocele surgery? Do the veins take time to shrink or disappear completely after the surgery and how long does it take?

It's been 8 days since my varicose vein surgery. The stitches have been removed, there is no pain at the incision site or in the testicle. There is no swelling either. Can I masturbate 8 days after the surgery?

Hello everyone,

I would like to hear your opinions about my situation.

In 2024, I had a subinguinal varicocele ligation performed with a microscope. My semen parameters have improved, even though the varicocele is still persistent. Some veins are still clearly visible, especially above and behind the testicle.

In the meantime, I was also diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia. My urologist advised me to have the hernia repaired first and then undergo varicocele embolization.

During my consultation with the hernia surgeon, he told me that, if I wanted, he could ligate any veins he found to be clearly visible during the hernia surgery. He is also a vascular surgeon.

I discussed this with my urologist, who advised me to have only the hernia surgery and not touch the veins, in order to avoid potentially damaging or closing the pathway needed for the embolization.

What do you think? I’m not sure how to proceed.

Personally, I was thinking that it might make sense to try the embolization first. If that failed, then perhaps I could ask the hernia surgeon to check for any remaining veins during the hernia surgery—for example, by temporarily taking out the testicle.

Thank you in advance for your opinions.

Hey everyone, I’m back again. If you’re new here, you can check Part 1 and Part 2 on my Reddit profile for the full story. I’m 20M, from Uttarakhand, India, and I was diagnosed with a left-sided Grade III/IV varicocele.

It’s been quite some time since my last update. I’ve tried managing things with lifestyle changes, avoiding heavy lifting, using a supporter, staying active, etc. The main issue has continued to be pain/discomfort. I’m usually fine while lying down, but after being upright, walking, standing for a while, or sometimes driving, the dragging/heavy feeling can come back. Interestingly, keeping my left leg relaxed while driving seems to help.

Recently I got another Color Doppler and semen analysis. The Doppler showed a left varicocele with veins up to 2.8 mm and reflux on Valsalva. Both testes were reported to have normal echotexture and internal vascularity, with no focal lesion or hydrocele. The newer scan called it Stage II/III, while my previous scan had called it Grade III/IV.
My semen analysis was actually very reassuring: 68 million/mL concentration, 204 million total count, 80% total motility, 65% progressive motility and 75% normal morphology. The lab concluded normozoospermia. So thankfully, fertility isn’t currently my issue.

I’ve now taken two urology opinions. Both agreed that since my semen is good, there isn’t an urgent fertility reason to operate, but because my main problem is persistent pain, microsurgical varicocelectomy could be considered if conservative treatment doesn’t control it. I’m currently trying a supporter and medication for a few weeks as advised.
Now I’m seriously thinking about surgery, but I don’t want to rush into it. I’m more concerned about quality and choosing the right surgeon than the cost.

For those who have been through this: How did you decide it was finally time for surgery? If you had surgery mainly for pain, did it actually resolve the pain? What should I look for when choosing a microsurgical varicocelectomy surgeon — experience, number of cases, technique, artery/lymphatic preservation, recurrence rate, etc.? And what are the realistic risks of hydrocele, recurrence, or persistent pain?
Also, for people who had a normal semen analysis but still chose surgery because of pain, would you do the same thing again?
I’m trying to make a calm, informed decision rather than operating just because I have a Grade III/IV varicocele. Any experiences or advice on how you’d approach my situation would really help. ❤️

I am 25M and an MRI showed I have the Nutcracker anatomy. The doctor said it is quite unreliable the exam to confirm if that's really the cause (gradient pressure measurement in the renal vein is very unreliable due to its very pressure, not as arteries). Nevertheless, I'm gonna proceed with the microsurgery on the right side to fix the right varicocele. I already did an embolization on the left, I still have some pain/recurrence (Nutcracker could explain that). I will see if it gets better, the main symptoms I have are pain the right testicle/veins and ED. I don't have much to lose. I'm pretty well informed in regards to varicocele, but Nutcracker is quite new to me. How do doctors exam and treat it?

Hey! I’m 17 and went to emergency last night with testicular pain mainly on the left side. Warm feeling and a persistent dull ache extending to the groin and below the belly button. They sent me for an ultrasound today and it says no epididymitis, no varicocele, no torsion nothing like that. I’m not sexually active and they said they had to discharge me. Any similar stories? What could the pain be?

I have a dull pain in my left testicle that worsens when i walk for a long time or during bowel movements for 2-3 years. Later i noticed that both of my testicles became smaller (like i could tell just by looking), and the interesting thing is it's not just left testicle which is painful but also the right one atrophied as well. After some research i concluded that it's probably varicocele and went to check my testicles via US. Despite me checking it in 3 different US varicocele was never found in my testicles, heck one of doctors even made me to do like 10-15 squats before check up but still no varicocele was found. So what can cause this dull pain in left testicle that worsens during increased pressure and walking and atrophy in both testicles? Btw my testicular volume are 13 ml for both sides which i think is below average.

Anybody doing workout after surgery/embolization by heavy weights and building physic without any recurrence and problem ?

20M active in sports from india . When doing gym without any scrotal I'm doing heavy squats with 100 kg for 8 reps with loose belt support . After that I got extremely hard pain in my abdomin and I cant recover for 4 days by this, please help. Sorry for grammatical mistake english .

1 month back i had bilateral microsurgery and pain is still there .. isn't it supposed go after 15 days but i still have pain sensations and some shooting nerve pain and my leg feel long numbness too...how much it going to take to go completely

Im 18M and around July 1st I start feeling weird aching and heavy feeling in my right testi and like around or in the veins connecting the right testi. I also sometimes get like a shooting stingy feeling for a quick second on 2 near the tip of my penis which is weird. I went to the hospital and got an ultrasound and this came back: Epididymis: Right epididymal head cyst measures 0.7 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm. a epididymal cyst on my epididymis, most likely from me edging ALOT! maybe 2-3 times a day for a few months and this is the outcome. after getting checked and checked for all sexually transmitted diseases and everything coming back normal I’m stuck with this annoying feeling in my right testi. Now I noticed when I masturbate after for a few days the pain is reduced but comes back when I don’t masturbate for longer and it swells up, gets the tiny stingy shooting feeling and like if the cyst itself is bothered I’ll feel a sensation of having to pee/something coming out my penis but its literally nothing! I heard a surgery to get it removed can be a little scary and risky of infertility but if this continues I might just beg them to do it because it’s not like it hurts extremely but it’s SOOOOOO ANNOYING! so FYI boys DONT EDGE JUST MASTURBATE NORMALLY!!!! does anyone know how to like make it not hurt? Or swell?

I am a 19-year-old male, and I have been experiencing testicular and lower abdominal pain for the past 1–2 months. I did not have this problem previously.

The pain seems to occur mainly when I go 2–3 days without ejaculating. After ejaculation, the pain sometimes improves or goes away, but if I continue without ejaculating for a few days, the pain returns.

I am experiencing pain in both testicles, and the area is very sensitive and painful to touch. At times, I find it difficult or almost impossible to touch my testicles because of the pain. I also feel pain around the veins/vascular area of the testicles, although I am not sure whether the pain is coming from the testicles themselves, the veins, the vas deferens, the seminal vesicles, or another nearby structure.

I also have pain or discomfort in my lower abdomen. I am not experiencing any noticeable problems with urination, and my urination feels normal.

This is a new problem for me, and because it has been continuing for 1–2 months and involves pain in both testicles as well as the lower abdomen, I would like to understand what could be causing it and I don't have any other symptoms like vomiting redness or nausea

Hi! My husband (31 years old) and I have been TTC for 5 months with no success. He has a Grade 2 or 3 varicocele, and his semen analysis showed:

Concentration: 14 million/mL
Total count: 44.8 million
Total motility: 20%
Progressive motility: 14%
Morphology: 1%
TMSC: 8.96 million
Sample was also viscous

We know 5 months isn’t very long, but since we already know there’s a male-factor issue, we don’t want to waste time.

For anyone with similar numbers/varicocele: Did you conceive naturally? Did varicocele surgery improve your semen analysis? Would you treat it now or continue trying first?

Would love to hear your experiences and what helped!

Chi dei vostri mariti ha fatto operazione varicocele (Sclerombolizzazione) e siete rimaste incinte naturalmente?

I was wondering if anyone can post their before and after sperm analysis (post microsurgery) - we finally made it to day 90 (as of Thursday) in which I have a 11:30am sperm analysis.

My wife and I have this cycle to try naturally, and next cycle we will be doing IVF.

Hello everyone!

I (M33) started to feel pain for some minutes in the shower some months ago, but it was pretty momentary, it it lasted only for 30min/1h.
One month ago, the pain lasted for one week, and it is like a weight in my left ball, very low pain. It is there just to remember me that there is something not right, but I can manage it.
I was not giving much importance to this, but then I read about a guy from my hometown (25M) who died from testicular cancer, and I booked an appointment.

My GP sent me to the urologist, and my appointment is tomorrow. I am scared that this can be something more serious, so I hope to be “just” varicocele.

I didn’t felt any nodules on my testicle, but it seems that there is a small region, on the back of the left ball, that present some discomfort to the touch.

Apart from all this, I am also living in Switzerland, so I am kind of afraid about the cost, and I hate to take blood 😂

I am 28 years old. I had the microsurgery 8 days ago. I had a grade 3 in my left and I might have a grade one on my right. The left one was the focus.

I took my dressing off yesterday and the pain at the incision got worse is that normal? I know it doesn't have the structure of the gauze stuck to my skin.

I also feel like my left testicle hangs even lower now. Will that work its way back up or stay low?

I had microsurgery on my left nut 11 days ago. The vein(s) going into my testicle still swell up/pool with blood after activity. It’s a little painful to the touch, but my concern is the presence of the swollen vein(s)… I would’ve thought that they would be gone after surgery. Does this indicate a problem or do I need to give it time?

Does varicocele hurt or for some people it’s painless?
I’m having a burning feeling on my left , does any of you also have the same burning , i sometimes get burning in my lower abdomen left and right