What are the consequences of an untreated hydrocele during puberty ?

Get some advice from a specialist. Personally, mine continued to grow very slowly into adulthood. This last year saw it grow extremely quickly.

Looking back, I should have had the surgery done when I was in my teens.

Hi, unless the size is worrying you or giving you pain, leave it.

I had a small hydrocele which I thought I would get fixed up.

The surgeon made it sound like it was like changing a light bulb. He came with great reviews.

After the first operation 6 weeks ago my swelling was 2-3 times the original hydrocele size. The wound itself heal to invisible.

At my post op appointment the doctor said I needed another operation. So I agreed.

What a mess, my testicle is fused hard up against the right hand side of my scrotum with the scrotum skin fused to 2/3s the surface of my testicle. The stitching is a mess, I have overlapping scrotum skin, hard and lumpy.

I look like I have a small hunchback of Notradam living in my crutch.

If you need to get it done, do your research but you may find it will resolve itself over time. Mine was caused by a hernia operation. Good luck Mate.

This is important. Make sure you read it.

I have suffered from hydrocele for a long period of time. During this phase of life, apart from getting the treatment, I also started reading a lot of blogs and articles about hydrocele to have a good understanding of the disease. Hence, I have a good understanding of the disease, its possible complications, and the best treatment.

If you really want to know about this disease in detail, this written piece is for you. Hopefully, after reading this blog, you will have a good understanding of whether you should get timely and proper treatment of hydrocele or wait for it to go on its own during puberty or any other stage of life. Before anything else, let me give you a short intro of what hydrocele is.

A hydrocele is a common disease during which a fluid-filled sac develops around the scrotum. This disease affects men of all age groups. However, it’s most common in baby boys. When a baby boy develops in the womb, the testicles move from the abdomen to the scrotum. But sometimes the passage that allows this process to happen doesn't close completely, leading to the formation of hydroceles.

In teenagers and adult men, hydrocele occurs due to various reasons, including injury or inflammation within the scrotum. Inflammation might be caused by an infection in the testicle or epididymitis. Epididymitis is a small, coiled tube at the back of each testicle.

Usually, a hydrocele is not a serious disease and it goes away in most cases of children without the need for any particular treatment. However, if you are a teenager or an adult man, then leaving it untreated is not a good idea at all.

Leaving hydrocele untreated increases the risk of several complications such as infection or tumors and an inguinal hernia.

Infection or tumors may potentially reduce the function and production of your sperm that may lead to infertility. Infertility is a serious problem across the world. Infertility is a health issue that decreases the chances of your female partner getting pregnant.

A hernia is a serious medical condition that can cause life-threatening conditions. It's a situation in which an internal organ or another organ of the body protrudes through the wall of tissue that contains it.

Since I had already read about hydrocele and was aware of the fact that it goes away on its own in most cases. So instead of consulting with a doctor and getting proper treatment, I made the mistake and waited until it became severe. This was my learning throughout my entire suffering caused by this disease that leaving hydrocele untreated is not a good decision to make.

So when my hydrocele became severe and I started feeling heaviness, swelling, inflammation, pain, and heaviness in my scrotum. I visited a nearby surgeon who after analyzing suggested that I should undergo hydrocele surgery.

The surgeon also told me that there is no medication for the treatment of hydrocele. Hydrocele can be prevented but once it occurs, surgical treatment is the only option that you are left with.

Since I had no idea about the different types of surgical procedures of hydrocele at the beginning of the disease. I didn’t ask a lot of questions to my doctor such as what is the best surgical treatment of hydrocele and what are the differences, rather I just followed what he asked for. But when you visit a doctor for your hydrocele treatment, do make sure to list a few questions and ask the same to your doctor.

On the first day, the doctor recommended a few check-ups which I got completed at his clinic itself. After looking at the reports, he asked me to come the very next day for the surgery. He gave anesthesia to me and performed the surgical procedure. It took him around 30 minutes to complete the surgery.

Here, I must also include that the doctor used a scalpel to make the incision in the scrotal region and after that closes the incision with the help of stitches. It was an open surgery of hydrocele. After a few hours of the surgery, the doctor discharged me after prescribing a few medicines that I had to take for the first few days post-procedure.

I came home and took a rest for the first day. From the second day. However, it took almost 1 month to subside the pain and swelling. After a month, it was quite good. I indulged myself in my daily routine and almost forgot about it until it recurred after 5-6 months.

Precisely,

Getting treatment for hydroceles during teenagers or adulthood is important but getting the best treatment is more important so that the disease doesn’t come back.

So, if you are a teenager and suffering from hydrocele then waiting for it to go away on its own or leaving it untreated is not a good decision. You should consult a specialist doctor and choose laser treatment of hydrocele over open surgery.