Hey everyone. 16 year old guy here. No past AAS use. Living in Canada (socialized health care).
So a while ago I noticed a varicocele and was, naturallyn worried. I got an ultrasound and it revealed bilateral varicoceles, and small bilateral hydroceles. And an inguinal hernia! The left varicocele I would describe as moderate, the right one as mild. The hydroceles I’ve never noticed. The hernia does cause me groin pain in the inguinal area.
My urologist ordered blood and semen tests because of the ultrasound readings. My semen came back just fine, but check out my hormonal readings:
FSH: 2 IU/L (ref. range 2-8)
LH: 3 IU/L (ref. range 2-6)
Testosterone: 27.1 nmol/L (ref. range 8.4 - 28.7)
He just told me I have normal hormones and therefore did not give me the varicocele surgery I wanted, but I asked for a copy of the tests and I’m just finding out these actual hormone values now. I have high T, but low-normal LH. And low FSH, but strong sperm.
It is worth noting that on the day of testing I had not masturbated for 7 days. Studies show that testosterone consistently spikes by about 45% on day 7, then goes back to normal. I’m guessing LH spiked the same amount?
Should I get a second opinion? I still want the surgery, I may have good readings now, but I don’t want them to be compromised in the future because of TWO varicoceles…
Best place for hernia surgery is Shouldice Hospital, north of Toronto. Perhaps the best in the world.
LH levels change a lot, released in pulses and short half life, the number you get depends on lab timing. FSH has a longer half life and is a better indicator of what is going on. Yes, that is low too.
This may be indicating that your testes are working very well, very responsive to LH and FSH.
Lab ranges are statistics and they may not represent guys your age, and they are often age bracketed/adjusted. And we do not know how you are progressing with growth or secondary sexual characteristics. You may not be there yet.
From what I’ve picked up on this forum and others, bilateral varicoceles are something to be scared of, even if they haven’t caused any issues relating to T or sperm yet. When I read accounts of guys who didn’t get their varicocelectomy until middle age, they always say that if you have one, nip it in the butt ASAP.
And just my common sense is telling me that having two hydroceles and two varicoceles can’t be good for your testes.
Also, if the varicocelectomy raises T in me, that is always a plus, especially at this point in my life, where I am still developing secondary sexual characteristics.
And I’ve noticed a small amount of atrophy on my right testicle (the one with the significantly bigger varicocele).
I can’t comment on the need for surgery but will say I’d expect a 16yo to be in the upper most range for testosterone.
Also, if you pursue surgery you need to ask what is the likelihood that the surgery could cause you to become hypogonadal? There IS published research out there showing hernia repair often leads to primary hypogonadism even when done correctly - basic idea is blood supply is compromised in some way.
It MAY turn out that doing nothing now IS the best option right now because there are more risks associated with surgery than benefits - especially for a 16 year old with what most of us would consider a fantastic natural testosterone profile.
That said, this NEEDS to be discussed with a surgeon IMHO.
As for atrophy of your right testicle…just throwing this out there but…one usually hangs lower than the other and to me that always made it look bigger…just saying
Going under the knife when your hormones are fine and you don’t mention any pain is not something I would pursue.
If you think getting rid of the varicocele will raise your test levels is just a wish. Your already at top of range.
I have a varicocele and quite a big one. My urologist recommended if it is not causing too much pain then to leave it alone. No point going into surgery, also she said it could effect fertility but I was fine in that regard. For decreasing test she did not think so.
Fuck man, me being you I would not even consider surgery. You are just risking complications with no upside that I can see.
You are fertile,good test numbers, no pain and considering surgey WTF.
