The masses of enlarged and dilated veins in the testicles, Varicoceles, interfere with the production of testosterone that is a vital hormone to maintain health of men.
“Varicoceles are a much more serious problem than previously thought. Low testosterone causes significant health problems in men. Besides causing low energy, decreased muscle strength and sexual problems, it is a major risk factor for osteopenia/osteoporosis and can also cause changes in cognitive and psychological function, in particular, depression,” Dr. Marc Goldstein, who initiated and led the study, was quoted as saying.
From Ivanhoe.com:
Varicoceles usually first appear during or shortly after puberty, explained Dr. Goldstein. “The common wisdom has been to leave them alone unless they are causing pain or infertility. But, as a result of our study, I recommend that teenagers and men with serious varicoceles be referred to a male reproductive urologist experienced in microsurgical varicocelectomy. It is much easier to prevent future fertility problems and low testosterone than wait until the damage has already occurred.”
Adult men with a varicocele and low testosterone should also consider microsurgery sooner rather than later, said Dr. Goldstein. “The microsurgery techniques available today (and developed, in large part, at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell) have a very low complication and failure rate compared with the more invasive techniques used in the past. Microsurgery is a good choice for men with low testosterone as there are no oral medications to increase testosterone. And although testosterone shots, pellets and gels are effective, they are not tolerable or appropriate for many patients, such as men trying to conceive, and are certainly less convenient than making your own testosterone.”
“This research indicates that varicocele surgery, at the least, prevents further deterioration of testosterone production,” Dr. Cigdem Tanrikut, one of the authors of the study, was quoted as saying.