varicocele surgery scheduled

Mitzi Bishi · July 2012

I am so proud of my DH for finally getting around to getting this taken care of. It will all go down later this month and I hope it's painless and he heals quickly.

It would have been nice if he had it all done before multiple IVFs, but he's dealing with the diagnosis himself, which I know isn't easy.

Some MFI husbands have had slight increases after the procedure, although we're not banking on that. Since our issues (as of now) are "only" MFI it's covered 100% by insurance, so there's not really a better time to get it done, plus (knock on wood) at this rate we don't have much to lose. They did tell us there's the off chance they hit an artery instead of the vein, which could lead to bleeding and possibly losing one testicle, but I'm trying not to worry about that unless we have to.

Anyone else have experiences with this?

jillychris · July 2012

No experience, but just wanted to wish you and YH the best of luck with the surgery! I hope it makes a difference for you!

rockpaperlove · July 2012

Hi Mitzi! I do not have experience, but I know your DH will be in good hands with you as his recovery nurse! Sending your DH all my best for his surgery and recovery.

Mrs.McIrish · July 2012

I have no experience with this but am thinking only positive thoughts for your DH's surgery. May it be easy and successful:-)

Aegis2005 · July 2012

I haven't, but I know Yolanbo's husband did (she doesn't post that often anymore, because she's at a standstill until they can save for IVF - but she lives a few miles away from me and we've become good friends IRL).

Her husband count went from essentially zero to 1.5M after varicole surgery.

Sending lots of good vibes your way that the surgery can help your DH's numbers and that it is as painless as possible and his recovery is quick.

winofairy · July 2012

***ticker warning***

We were originally diagnosed as MFI due to DH having a varicocele. After our third failed IUI DH opted to have a varicocele embolization. He had it done on a Friday and was back to work on a Monday.

Before the procedure DH had a count of 7 million with 18% motility. Each month after the embolizaton his numbers improved.

His numbers for our IVF cycle were 156 million with 93% motility and 3% morphology. This was at 1.5 years after the procedure.

Wishing you and DH lots of luck and praying for a quick recovery!!

mtlaurel · July 2012

No experience with the surgery, but I hear you loud and clear on H's having to come to terms with their own diagnoses, and think it's great that he's doing it. Hoping it results in significant improvements!

Edwina.McDunnough · July 2012

Hoping for a uncomplicated procedure and a quick recovery for YH. Best of luck to you both !!!!

eponine7682 · July 2012

My DH just had his done three weeks ago. His uro said we might see an increase in his numbers but that it would take a year or so to really see a big difference.

My DH had a REALLY bad one so he did have some complications but none that should concern you. His one side was a big mess so that side is still bothering him now and he might have gotten an infection (we will know more this week). However his doc told him that he would only have 2-3 days of discomfort so I think for most men this procedure is quick and easy.

Best of luck and hoping it really improves his counts!

theworms · July 2012

I hope he sees improvement from it.

Sending tons of GL and PPV. Make sure he has some ice packs for his region after wards

amethystgrrl · July 2012

No experience, just want to peek in to wish you luck and success.

TryingforBaby1 · July 2012

My DH had this about 18 months ago. Similar to a PP, his was pretty bad and his recovery took a bit longer than he expected. He certainly was not feeling up for a run two weeks after the procedure (like he was told he would), but he was back to work after (i think) 4 days. Unfortunately, we did not see much improvement. However, his sperm was deteriorating very quickly and it did seem to slow the deterioration. This was what we were told to hope for, so I guess it was a success. He also had some discomfort with his varicocele and the definitely surgery helped with that.

Good luck and vibes for a speedy recovery for your DH!!

PrettyAccountant · July 2012

Hi sweetie, I don't have any experience but I wanted to say you and YH will be in my prayers for a great outcome.

Gregermis · July 2012

No experience, but good luck!!!!

hootie123 · July 2012

Thinking of you Mitzi!

Here is an article that you may find interesting - the surgery seems to help with sperm DNA fragmentation as well. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913801

I really hope it helps you get pregnant!

Bethany1026 · July 2012

No experience with varicocele surgery, but I hope it is sucessful, a speedy recovery and does the trick!

Mitzi Bishi · July 2012

Thanks ladies, you all are so amazing. Hopefully this increases our chances. Since my husband is a runner I have a feeling it will be extremely difficult for him if things don't heal quickly.

hootie123:
Thinking of you Mitzi!
Here is an article that you may find interesting - the surgery seems to help with sperm DNA fragmentation as well. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913801
I really hope it helps you get pregnant!

Hootie, I'm so glad to see you here! I've been thinking about you so much. My husband has exactly that, oligospermia, which is super low levels across the board. Thanks for the abstract. I hope we fall into the 63% category, because thus far we've not been on the good side of the bell curve.

meg_koole · July 2012

My hubby had the surgery Nov 2010. For us the last SA he did was via sample prep for an IUI Feb 2011 and there was no improvement. He maybe had one with the Urologist after that I think but that one also didn't show any improvement. We did it more to prevent future issues (our Uro said that it he didn't take care of it then it could become painful and dangerous down the road). We were ok with using donor sperm - so it wasn't critical for it to "work" that way. In the end I am glad we did it then and it is taken care of.

Recovery wasn't too terrible. He had a lot of swelling and bruising but overall it was ok he said...

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