Nairobi, April 25 -- A common yet treatable condition in men often goes unnoticed for years, quietly undermining the chances of pregnancy. Known as varicocele, it is one of the leading correctable causes of male infertility, according to Dr Naushad Karim, a consultant interventional radiologist at Aga Khan University Hospital.

What is varicocele?

To understand varicocele, Dr Karim explains that the testicles are positioned outside the body because sperm production requires a temperature slightly lower than normal body heat. Like any other organ, the testes receive blood through arteries and drain it through veins.

In varicocele, the valves within the veins malfunction. Instead of flowing back towards the heart, blood pools in the scrot...