Repairing a varicocele involves closing off the enlarged vein. This can be done by conventional surgery through the abdomen or by several less-invasive, newer techniques. All of these can be done as outpatient procedures under general or local anesthetic. Correcting a varicocele results in improved semen quality in about 70 percent of cases and leads to pregnancy in about half. Success has been reported as soon as three months after the operation, but it usually takes between six and 18 months for sperm counts to rise to their maximum.
Large ones are easy to find.
Standing in a warm shower, the spermatic cord above the testicle will feel like a bag of worms, and coughing may produce a throb. Smaller ones, however, may require a more experienced hand, and there is no correlation between size and infertility. If you suspect you have one, don't panic. Just get it checked out, so you can rule out other, more serious, problems.