Urology appointment + vasectomy?

I hope I’m in the right place. I went in for my annual physical this past Friday, and my doctor mentioned some varicocele during the exam. She's sending me to see a urologist for a follow-up. In your experience, what’s the absolute worst-case scenario diagnosis I could be facing here?

Gerald Thomas65 said:I hope I’m in the right place. I went in for my annual physical this past Friday, and my doctor mentioned some varicocele during the exam. She's sending me to see a urologist for a follow-up. In your experience, what’s the absolute worst-case scenario diagnosis I could be facing here?

It’ll probably clear up in a few days..... 🤷 😁

Gerald Thomas65 said:I hope I’m in the right place. I went in for my annual physical this past Friday, and my doctor mentioned some varicocele during the exam. She's sending me to see a urologist for a follow-up. In your experience, what’s the absolute worst-case scenario diagnosis I could be facing here?

That sounds like a varicocele—essentially an enlargement of the pampiniform plexus veins in the scrotum. Based on how the veins are laid out, I’d bet it's on your left side.

In most cases, surgery isn't even necessary; doctors usually just monitor it. If they do decide to go ahead with a surgical fix, it's a pretty routine procedure to repair the issue.

Pediatric surgeons used to claim that leaving a varicocele untreated could lead to infertility, but modern American urology doesn't really hold that same view anymore.

Either way, definitely follow through with that urologist appointment. They'll likely run a scrotal ultrasound to get a clear picture of what's going on.

Good luck!

Can someone clarify if I actually need parental consent to see a urologist, or am I free to make my own appointments once I hit 18?

So, I figured I’d throw my question out here too. Just saw my urologist, and apparently, I’ve got a varicocele on my left side—nothing major, but since my wife and I are trying to conceive, I’m going to get a sperm count done first to see if we even need to mess with it... but that's not actually why I'm posting. I have these two little spots, about 2mm each, just below the head (I was circumcised when I was a toddler), that tend to turn a bit red during sex. Both my dermatologist and my urologist—who are both top-tier specialists, by the way—think they’re just some minor depigmentation issues. I’ve already had an ultrasound on my testicles and penis, plus a blood test for LDH (which I think is what it's called) to rule out testicular cancer, and everything came back totally fine. Here’s the kicker, though: I keep getting this intermittent pain—ranging from my right heel all the way up my leg to the head of my penis. On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s barely a 1.5, just a light annoyance, but it's constant enough to bug me. Even though these two experts agree on the diagnosis, I still can't shake the anxiety. To make matters worse, I deal with this weird burning sensation on my tongue (still undiagnosed, despite being swabbed) and occasional shortness of breath—though that’s improved since I started smoking again :-( so I’m thinking maybe it’s a mix of stress, carrying extra weight, and just being a couch potato. Has anyone else dealt with anything similar? If you've been through something like this, please reach out—just looking for some friendly advice. Thanks.

Scott Jackson40 said:So, I figured I’d throw my question out here too. Just saw my urologist, and apparently, I’ve got a varicocele on my left side—nothing major, but since my wife and I are trying to conceive, I’m going to get a sperm count done first to see if we even need to mess with it... but that's not actually why I'm posting. I have these two little spots, about 2mm each, just below the head (I was circumcised when I was a toddler), that tend to turn a bit red during sex. Both my dermatologist and my urologist—who are both top-tier specialists, by the way—think they’re just some minor depigmentation issues. I’ve already had an ultrasound on my testicles and penis, plus a blood test for LDH (which I think is what it's called) to rule out testicular cancer, and everything came back totally fine. Here’s the kicker, though: I keep getting this intermittent pain—ranging from my right heel all the way up my leg to the head of my penis. On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s barely a 1.5, just a light annoyance, but it's constant enough to bug me. Even though these two experts agree on the diagnosis, I still can't shake the anxiety. To make matters worse, I deal with this weird burning sensation on my tongue (still undiagnosed, despite being swabbed) and occasional shortness of breath—though that’s improved since I started smoking again :-( so I’m thinking maybe it’s a mix of stress, carrying extra weight, and just being a couch potato. Has anyone else dealt with anything similar? If you've been through something like this, please reach out—just looking for some friendly advice. Thanks.

Quit smoking if you actually want to have a kid (you're wasting money, wrecking your sperm quality, and hurting your future wife and baby in the process...)