Your doctor will conduct a physical exam, which might reveal a nontender mass above your testicle that feels like a bag of worms. If it’s large enough, your doctor will be able to feel it.
Clear indications to repair a varicocele in adolescence include progressive testicular atrophy, pain or abnormal semen analysis results. Although treatment of a varicocele generally improves sperm characteristics, it’s not clear if an untreated varicocele leads to progressive worsening of sperm quality over time.