varicocele

[Cath]

In the past I have seen a few posts about varicocele surgery. I was just
wondering if anyone out there who has had the surgery could give me any
updates on how it has turned out for them. Thanks.

[Rachel E Hubbard]

My dh had varicocele surgery a couple of years ago. Unfortunately for us,
the surgery did not increase his sperm counts and we needed to move to IVF
with ICSI.

It is quite possible that the surgery will not measurably increase your dhs
counts either and you should be prepared for that. One thing that I would
do in advance
of surgery, if I had it to do all over again, is to assess other possible
reasons for the sperm problems (other than the varicocele). My dh had an
undescended testes until he was 12 (they should drop before 2 years old) and
that was probably causing his sperm problems because that testicle is
probably not functioning at all. Had we known this in advance, we probably
would have gone through with the surgery (because it was covered by
insurance), but at least we would have know that we had reduced chances of
the surgery working for us.

Based on our urology visits, there are a couple of key things that can cause
sperm problems. There are others as well, but this is the list that I
remember.

- Varicoceles
- Undescended Testes
- Hernia (or other groin) surgeries as a child

Here is my advice for you...
1. Determine if the varicocele surgery is covered by your insurance. Ours
was, but many insurances to not cover varicoceles for fertility related
problems. If this is an out of pocket expense for you, do additional
research before you sign up for the surgery. You can also tell your
urologist
that the varicocele is causing pain, which may make them cover the surgery.
2. Use the following formula to determine the severity of his sperm
problem:
ml * sperm count/ml * % motility (i.e., 2 ml * 10 million/ml * 70% =
14million)
Results higher than 6 or 8 million had a good chance for IUI. We were
(significantly) below that number so our RE said our only chance was IVF.
3. Determine your dhs other risk factors. Were the testicles
subjected to any other factors which may have impaired the sperm count?
And, how severe is his current varicocele? This may tell you how successful
the surgery will be in fixing his counts.
4. Another area you need to assess is your insurance coverage and financial
state. Most insurance does not cover infertility procedures, although some
do. Infertility procedures can be expensive, with IUI cycles costing about
$500 per cycle and IVF cycles with ICSI costing about $10,000 per cycle. If
your insurance does cover infertility treatments, you are one of the lucky
ones, and it may be a good idea to move directly to infertility treatments
without doing the surgery.

This information should provide you information which will help you make an
informed decision about what to do. Good luck to you and your dh in
whatever you decide.
Rachel

Cath <cs...@hit.net> wrote in message
news:X6Uo4.37853$ox5.9...@tw11.nn.bcandid.com...

[lily]

Well, Rachel pretty much said it all.
I just wanted to add that my dh had varicocele surgery 8/98 and the test
3 months later showed no improvement at all. But with every SA we realize
it is getting better, but REALLY REALLY slowly.
Still poor, but better than before.
I also would not get my hopes up too high if there is no improvement
after 3 months, that is if you decide to do it. The procedure isn't too
bad , my dh went to work after 2 days and he was fine.
Whatever you decide ,
good luck
lily

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Stars and sky]

MY HUSBAND JUST HAD SURGERY ON BOTH SIDES.WERE REALLY NOT SURE YET WHAT TO
THINK, BUT HE IS NOT IN ANY PAIN IT ONLY LASTED A FEW WEEKS....

[Patrick and Diana]

My husband had the surgery five months ago. Three months later we were
eligible for IUI, where as before we weren't. He missed no work time,
because the surgery was on a Friday. The discomfort lasted a couple of
weeks, but was not severe after that first weekend. Insurance paid for
the procedure, even though it doesn't cover infertility, because our
doctor told us they would if DH was in pain and DH immediately started
experiencing pain ;)

We had actually gone through a couple of IVF w/ ICSI before his surgery,
because we had a limited window of opportunity to use a different
insurance to pay for that. If not for the time limitation, however, I
wouldn't recommend starting with IVF w/ ICSI, because it's good to
maximize the number of procedures you're eligible for. There's a
certain amount of luck involved with every IVF or IUI, etc. Not every
perfect embryo implants even in the most fertile of women. Varicocele
you'll do only once. IVF and/or IUI you're likely to do several times.
Multiple IUI's are better than multiple IVF's. IMOH

good luck,
Diana

--
2+ yrs ttc
PCOS
"unexplained" male infertility fixed with variocele repair
2 IVF w/ ICSI
1st IUI scheduled 3/2000