XP from 3T: Did YH have a varicocele repair?

Jewlz018 · March 2011

Hi Ladies! I usually post over on 3T, but thought you ladies here might have some good input for me as well. TIA! :-)

If so, how much did it cost? How did you make the decision? I know there is no guarantee it will help things. How was the recovery?Dr. Google says in addition to the surgery there is an embolization option where the recovery seems to go much smoother. Did your Urologist mention this as an option? Ours has not (yet).

We are in the process of testing / trying to decide whether or not DH will have the surgery so just wondering what other's experiences have been regarding this. Any input is much appreciatied!

madelyn07 · March 2011

My husband did.

Our insurance covered it since it is an issue that affects things other than just IF. It can cause other, lasting complications if it goes untreated. We don't have IF coverage but, because of that, it was covered.

The recovery was pretty easy for my DH. His surgery was on a Wednesday and he was back to work the next day. He has a very active job (college coach) so he was going light on the active stuff for about a week but a week post-op he was back fully...throwing batting practice and all. I had surgery the Friday after his surgery and he was totally able to take care of me.

We made the decision because it could have helped and because of the other health issues that could arise had we not fixed it.

In our case, we had fantastic results. DH's morph was low previous to surgery (count and motility were normal) and every since his surgery his morph has been perfect and his count and motility even improved as well. I did managed to get pregnant from an IUI post-surgery but had a c/p. But I also have tons of issues on my side.

I'm very happy we did the surgery.

Trish11278 · April 2011

My husband had the surgery this past September. Out insurance covered it because the surgery is not for IF but for a medical condition. Varicocele is not linked to IF at this point but can cause future issues. We wanted to get the surgery for that reason alone and if it happened to help with IF, that would be an extra bonus.

I have not heard of the embolization option. My DH had a rough recovery. He had the surgery on Thursday. I had to take off Friday as well because he couldn't even get up and down off of the couch let alone in and out of bed alone. He did not go back to work until Wednesday. My DH had both sides done, I don't know if that is one of the reasons his recovery was difficult. We also talked about that because he is out of shape, that also could have been a reason. It seems like most men have a speedy recover and are back to work in a few days.

The surgery was worth it for us. One he doesn't have to worry about it for the future but it also helped with the IF. His morph was extremely low and his other counts were borderline. He got the surgery in September and by February his counts more than doubled. My DH has to get checked again in a couple months to see if they are still rising!

Good luck in your decision! I hope your DH has a speedy recovery if he gets the surgery!

Delta04 · April 2011

My husband had the repair but unfortunately, it did not improve is SA numbers. The recommendation is still that ICSI is the best option. He had it in 2009, so my memory is a little shady on it but I believe that we had to wait 6 months before we could expect to see the "full" improvement. Our insurance covered it as well.

I am not familiar with the embolization procedure. GL to you.

Jewlz018 · April 2011

Thanks so much for your input ladies! It was very helpful.

meg_koole · April 2011

My DH had the surgery and based on his SA results from early March we have not seen, nor do we expect to see, any improvement in his numbers unfortunately.

That said, I echo what the others said. If the varicocele is more then microscopic is can cause other issues and should be repaired. As long as you discuss future health issues ahead of time and make sure they can code it as varicocele repair and not IF, then insurance should cover it!

madelyn07 · April 2011

Trish11278:

He did not go back to work until Wednesday. My DH had both sides done, I don't know if that is one of the reasons his recovery was difficult. We also talked about that because he is out of shape, that also could have been a reason. It seems like most men have a speedy recover and are back to work in a few days.

FWIW my husband also had both sides done.

He is in fantastic shape, though. He has such an active job and a metabolism that just won't quit.

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XP from 3T: Did YH have a varicocele repair?

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