Hey,
I had it done, it's really not that bad. He'll have sore balls for a few days after, but apart from that it's pretty straightforward. My testosterone wasn't affected at all. All they do is take a few samples
I had conscious sedation for mine, but that might differ slightly between clinics.
Hope that helps! But if not and you wanted some more info on the procedure itself, this is from the bournhall website, actually explains what they do:
Micro-TESE is Microsurgical Sperm Retrieval from the Testicle. This involves an operation performed through a small midline incision in the scrotum, through which one or both testicles can be seen.
The surgeon examines the testicle(s) under the microscope, which provides up to 20x magnification, in search of areas where the seminiferous tubules – small areas of testicular tissue – are dilated and therefore more likely to contain sperm. The surgeon then removes these areas, and we examine them in our laboratory for the presence of sperm. We continue examining different areas of the testicle(s) until we find sperm, or until we’ve examined and taken a biopsy from all sites of the testicle(s) without seeing any sperm.
This procedure is usually applicable if other SSR techniques have been unsuccessful, or if you don’t have any sperm within the ejaculate because of defective sperm production. In this latter case, it may be the result of previous testicular surgery, earlier medical treatment, a genetic problem, or other male factor infertility issue. The consultant will be able to recommend if this procedure is the most likely to succeed in obtaining sperm in your particular case.
