About a year ago I started getting pain in my left testicle. I’m a 25-year-old guy who works out daily (weight training + running). It felt like a burning, aching pain. I had never heard of a varicocele before, but after Googling my symptoms it seemed like the most likely cause. Around the same time my ED started as well (still ongoing).
I went to a urologist — the same one who operated on me as a baby because I was born with only one functioning kidney.
Right from the first appointment I felt like he wasn’t taking me seriously. He said things like:
“A varicocele can’t cause pain.”
“You don’t just get a varicocele. You must have had it since puberty.”
He was very blunt and borderline rude, which shocked me considering he operated on me when I was a year old.
I had blood tests done (photos included). My testosterone was on the higher side and my prolactin slightly elevated, but the endocrinologist said it was nothing to worry about. They also did an ultrasound which confirmed a 4 mm left-sided varicocele. Here’s the report:
Ultrasound findings:
Left testis ~47 × 23 × 23 mm
Right testis ~51 × 30 × 21 mm
Normal testicular tissue and vascularization
No suspicious lesions
Normal epididymis
Left varicocele (veins up to 4 mm with spontaneous reflux, worse with Valsalva)
No varicocele on the right
Mild left hydrocele
No inguinal hernia
Conclusion:
Left varicocele with reflux. No right varicocele. Left testicle slightly smaller. No suspicious lesions.
They also did a semen analysis. The urologist told me it “must have been done wrong” because I had 0 motile sperm. I contacted the lab myself and they said the test was performed correctly. So I insisted on a second test.
A few months later I also developed pain in my right testicle, but the urologist refused to order another ultrasound. He told me:
“A varicocele can’t suddenly appear.”
“If it wasn’t there months ago, it can’t be there now.”
“Right-sided varicoceles only happen with kidney tumors.”
Which makes no sense because… I don’t even have a right kidney anymore.
I felt completely dismissed and honestly insulted.
He prescribed Cialis, which does help somewhat. My erections don’t collapse as quickly when standing, and it’s a bit easier to get and maintain one. But ever since the varicocele started, it’s been way harder to get hard, my erection dies immediately when I stand up, and after I orgasm my penis goes soft almost instantly. None of this happened two years ago.
Today he told me again that he is not going to operate on me. He insists that varicoceles “cannot cause pain,” and that he only operates if fertility is reduced — even though my motility is 0% and I clearly have symptoms. He also claims the varicocele cannot be connected to my ED or low libido, despite all my other hormones being normal.
At this point I’m extremely frustrated and confused. Once my second semen analysis is done, I’m 100% switching to another urologist.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? And does anyone know a good urologist in Belgium (preferably someone experienced with varicocele pain, ED, and fertility issues)? I’d really appreciate any recommendations.