Surgery or not: > [Hi Dr. Peat. Hope you are well. Thank you for all of your work. I wanted to ask something I would really value your opinion on: do you think having surgery to remove a large varicocele is a good idea?] Ray: I think the first thing is to check your hormones thoroughly, especially DHEA, pregnenolone, [[thyroid]], vitamin D, and make sure your diet is good. Then if it doesn’t shrink and is uncomfortable, consider surgery.