Patient Success Stories

"After having both varicocele surgery and embolization, I would tell any man with a varicocele to consider embolization."

Ten years ago, my wife and I were having difficulty getting pregnant. After being examined and tested by my doctor, I was told that I had a low sperm count, caused by a varicocele. To increase our chances of having a baby, I chose to undergo varicocele surgery, which at that time was the only treatment available. The surgery caused me a great deal of discomfort, and recovery took longer than I had hoped. The good news was that my wife did end up getting pregnant, and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

Recently, my wife and I decided that we'd like another child. We soon learned that my low sperm count had returned, again due a varicocele. But this time my doctor referred me to an interventional radiologist instead of a surgeon, and he told me about a non-surgical treatment for the problem. I had an ultrasound to confirm the varicocele diagnosis, and the interventional radiologist isolated the varicose vein and scheduled me for varicocele embolization within the week.

Having the embolization was very different from surgery. I had a local anesthetic instead of general, and was awake during the entire procedure. Being awake allowed me to talk to the doctor, who explained what was happening the whole time. After the embolization, I felt very little discomfort and was actually able to walk to my car. The best news of all is that two months later, my wife was pregnant with our second child.

D. Raymond, age 39

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