Just a brief history as to why I ask about semen improvement and varicoceles....(sorry for a long post)
Last year I discovered I had a low count. We were referred to a fertility clinic where we were told IVF would be the route we would have to go down. When I questioned the reason for my low count and trying to improve it I was told “you either have a problem or you don’t” I wasn’t even offered a second semen analysis.
It’s not in me to just accept that. There has to be a reason and I’m willing to do anything to find it and improve. I started researching and a common problem linked to male infertility is varicoceles. Finding out I had a low count got me examining myself in the shower and I was feeling a lot of abnormalities/lumps in my left testicle and was convinced something wasn’t right. I spoke with my doctor and got referred for a scan. I had the scan last week and nothing serious was found and everything was perfect apart from.......varicoceles in BOTH testicles and more prominent in the left one. I asked how serious they were and was told ‘moderate’.
I was so relieved nothing serious was spotted and it also gave me hope that if I can address these varicoceles that I can possibly improve my semen quality. When researching varicoceles, they are heavily linked to infertility but there is no data on how good the improvements are when they are fixed. I have read that it CAN significantly improve your semen and I’ve read that it doesn’t. I don’t know how something that is heavily linked to Infertility can’t possibly improve fertility when it’s repaired.
So, what I’m asking is there anyone out there that has had their varicocele fixed and saw an Improvement and if so, how much of an improvement? Also, has anyone else done anything else that has helped them improve and if so, how big of an improvement?
Thanks for reading and I hope to hear back.
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CJM89
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Hi CJM, on initial investigations it was found my partner had a varicocele which he had day surgery to repair. It definitely made a difference in our case from a count of under 5 million to over 19 million post surgery. We still need ICSI due to morphology but it has given us more to work with.
That’s the sort of improvement I expected. I had a count of around 3.5m and I’m unsure of the motility and morphology but they were poor. I have the attitude if I can even improve to the kind of numbers that get me to an IUI level as opposed to IVF it could save us tens of thousands of pounds and be more effective. Thanks for the reply.
Hey there. My husband initially had extremely low normal forms and found to have a 1 large varicocele. Treating it made a massive difference. Before they were doubting any form of fertility treatment would work for us, and post treatment we didn’t even need ICSI, and had ivf with great fertilisation rate. Completely worth it for us.
Hi, my husband has moderate MFI so we have been advised to do ICSI, he has a varicocele but we have been told a) that treatment is unlikely to make a big enough difference as it may not be the only cause of his MFI, b) the nhs won't treat it for infertility reasons, only if it were causing him pain (and goodness knows how long the wait should be), and c) that the surgery can cause more pain than the varicocele itself.... so it feels like the option of trying to treat my husband has been shut down, if I were any younger (I am 39) I'd probably push to get it looked at but IVF probably is our best shot as we don't have time to wait.... but it's still frustrating.... also when his gp first noticed it a few years back he never said it could cause fertility issues! I'm pretty pissed off that MFI isn't taken seriously and good on you for following up on it. Good luck!
They definitely don’t do enough and I have a feeling it’s all to do with money. Further tests/scans/referrals cost money and I don’t think they’re willing to fund it all with no guarantee but it’s not fair on people that maybe can’t afford continuous rounds of IVF. It seems like a scan at the hospital which took 5 minutes COULD potentially help me so I think it’s worth chasing.
My husband has low count and motility. Scan shows he also has varicocele but our consultant feels having surgery will not improve his overall count. He has however been referred to have embolization. We have started our ICSI journey so we aren’t delayed but part of me still hopes that’s after his surgery his count his results will improve and we could be in with a chance of a natural conception.
He has some discomfort but it’s not unbearable. We figured it would be best to get it fixed. If time was on our side we would probably have the surgery first then see how we get on but due to being 36 we have opted to start ICSI before the procedure. The appointment was for feb but we have pushed it back until April.
I had a very similar diagnosis in that I had a bilateral varicocele with the one on my left side more prominent. At this time I had a count of 5m and only 1% morphology. After 3 months of healthier eating and lifestyle changes I increased this to 20m and 2% morphology.I then had surgery to embolize the varicocele on my left side. 3 months post the procedure my count increased to over 100m and 3% morphology. I have had 2 further tests done since and both have returned counts of over 100m.
I would definitely recommend getting these treated.
Thanks for the reply. Those numbers are seriously impressive and I never expected to hear of anyone with that kind of improvement. Like you, my count was low and around 3.5m. I am speaking with my doctor today and will try and get a referral to the urologist but who knows if I can with COVID going on.
Can I ask a list of diet and lifestyle changes you made? Also, was you given any advice on whether surgery or embolization was better/more effective etc?
For the lifestyle changes, I stopped spinning classes, hot showers and baths - anything really to reduce heat in the area.I added lots of fruit and veg to my diet. Also ate lots of walnuts which were recommended by urologist and fish, reduced dairy and alcohol and processed meat.
I initially started taking the wellman tablets and then went to proxeed. This switch was made after the 20m count so it’s difficult to note the impact between both. I do know that after stopping the proxeed and reverting back to wellman the count hasn’t changed that much.
No I didn’t get any advice on the treatment, i just followed the urologist recommendation. The embolisation is a straightforward procedure.
Okay that sounds quite similar to what I am doing. I used to sit and soak in a hot bath several times a week and I have now changed to quick showers. I have been taking wellman for a good 6 months but I have heard that proxeed can be better. I really increased my fruit and veg intake into a daily smoothie but have slowed down on that recently. Lastly, can I ask....with the kind of dramatic improvement you had, are you now able to conceive naturally?
We were also on the queue for ICSI at this time and started a round 5 months after the procedure which was successful.I’m hopeful with the improvement that it will help us conceive naturally in the future.
The urologist I seen was great and felt these were having an impact. I was also starting to notice some discomfort when sitting for long periods so this was also helped getting the procedure to embolize.
My partner had a very large varicocele, he did have the surgery to embolise. Initially we did not see a great improvement in sperm - he had a count of around 1M with low morphology. However after seeing a urologist who specialises in male infertility and a fertility nutritionist we saw huge improvements - I would recommend starting on a supplement plan right now (takes at least 3 months to see significant improvement) 1x Impryl in the evening + 1x sachet of proxceed in the morning at the least. You can see our full journey on my bio. I would 100% encourage you to see a specialist urologist in infertility, I wish we had done so sooner. Best of luck x
Thanks for the reply. I’m glad you got the improvements! Can I ask what the numbers were in the improvement? I am thinking of seeing a private urologist who seems to have a good reputation (Jonathan Ramsey) as I’m interested in further testing and advice.
We monitored using an at home kit called ExSeed- results varied from 13M to 120M! Yes we saw Jonathan - he is just AMAZING! I cannot speak highly enough of him, best money we have ever spent. He will also likely look at DNA fragmentation - this was the cause of our miscarriages, we also improved this dramatically after seeing Jonathan. We’ve got our FET today actually with x2 top grade embryos so really hoping all the hard work has paid off 🤞🤞
Good luck! I really hope it works out for you! Can you let me know the costs of seeing Jonathan please? I’m intrigued to know how much consultations, all the different tests and follow up treatments/appointments will set me back. Thanks
Jonathan is brilliant, he’s literally changed our lives, when 3 other urologists in the England said nothing could be done (i am now 26 weeks pregnant).
He’s £280 for a consultation in person. £110 for telephone appt. for us he was absolutely worth it.
My husband has azoospermia THE most worst male factor infertility you can possibly have. Everyone told us sperm donor was the only way but Jonathan managed to find us sperm. Aside from some hormone treatment he put my husband on, my husband also took, fertilisan M supplements (best off the market i had shipped in from Germany) and ubiquinol daily. We also switched to organic fruit and veg, it is well researched that the pesticides used in foods are harmful to sperm. We also avoided the use of BPA products. Also KEEP YOUR PHONE OUT OF YOUR POCKET!! this is essential. I read various studies where too much phone exposure reduced sperm count by 25%. Also wear loose boxers and looser trousers where you can and avoid sitting down too long or using the laptop on your knees for long periods.
Unlike eggs, sperm rejuvenates every 72-90 days, so there is every possibility that it can improve.
We stuck to these rules for 8 months and finally sperm was found.
If you want to do more research, look up Dr Turek, his website is incredibly useful and he taught Dr Ramsay some of his techniques.
Hi, my husband was given a zero sperm count, however after seeing a urologist in London who was amazing, it turned out that because he had a condition at birth the semen couldn’t get through, he then had a sperm retrieval and had seven bikes with a higher than average count. Yes it was then frozen but did the trick.Low iron is also linked to low sperm quality.
My husband had varicocele in both testicles and also was told low semen count. He had 2 operations over the space of 4 years while I was also undergoing investigations for my infertility. Eventually we found out I was the main problem due to having pelvic inflammatory disease and blocked tubes due to undiagnosed and untreated clamidia. In 2018 we had our one and only ivf treatment on the NHS, hubby had semen tests and we found his count was normal so obviously the surgery had worked he had the surgery in 2012. Sadly I had a chemical pregnancy first time round.In relation to your question, in our experiences the surgery for his varicocele worked 100%. I would definitely looked into surgery to improve chances for you. X
From what I can remember he complained to his doctor about lumps and he also had alot of pain in his right testicle. Went for a scan and the specialist said he had one the worst causes of varicose veins he had ever seen, on the scan it looked like a lump of spaghetti!!!! His semen results were less than 1 million which was classed as very low results. He had surgery then 2 years later the varicocele returned just as bad but in both testicles. 2nd surgery took place and this time the varicocele hasn't returned. His last semen test in 2019 showed his results were over 20 million sperm which was a vast improvement and they managed to find alot of good movers!Sadly our 2nd treatment didn't work and we have since given up with ivf and are looking into adoption instead.
Good luck with your treatments and we hope it works for you. X
hi all, looking for tips on clinics where to have bilateral varicocele treatment for my husband. Please PM me with a clinic name and cost please. We woukd travel anywhere in the UK to get it treated at a reasonable cost!
Do you think treating it led to your success? Thank you for all the tips!
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