Please tell me about your HSG (hysterosalpingogram)...

[LiamsMommy31905]

I have decided to bite the bullet and schedule an HSG for July (it will be our 12th month TTC...why did my RE never suggest this before?)

Talk to me about what an HSG involves...what it feels like...how much pain am I going to be in...how long it takes...I want to know all the gory details.

Thanks!

[LisaG]

I'd say the most important thing to remember is that experiences can vary widely in terms if discomfort. You assume the standard stirrup position, the doc swabs the cervix with iodine, puts a little clamp on the cervix to hold it open while he/she threads a small catheter through the cervix into the uterus, then they put dye through the catheter so it fills the uterus. Then they take a few xrays and watch to see how the dye fills the uterus and ideally spills through the fallopian tubes.

An HSG will show if you have any abnormalities to your uterine cavity - like the shape being odd, or polyps or fibroids present. It will also show whether or not your fallopian tubes are open.

You may feel crampy from the cervix clamp and from the dye being pushed through into the uterus. Afterwards they'll give you a panty liner in case you have any discharge from the dye. I'd recommend taking some pain meds before hand (whatever you take for cramps). I'm one of the lucky ones that has really mild, short lived cramps after an HSG. I think that about covers it. Good luck!

[baturay]

For me it was more uncomfortable feeling than actual "pain".

[crazyrunningmama]

All that, and.. insert speculum, do painful thing to me, then make me use my heels (with nothing to push against) to push myself farther up on the table and lay my legs flat (speculum still in) and lower a big heavy looking whatever on me. And then it hurt more than they said it would ("pressure or pinch" didn't quite cover it for me) It was painful and somewhat humiliating for me, mostly because they didn't do a good job of explaining the mechanics of what was going to happen, when they asked me to move I was all WTF? : because mentally I was prepared for the ususal Pap position.

Not much pain after though and some discharge/spotting. BUT, very nice to see what's going on in there. I was glad to have had it done, for sure. And do the deed later that day or the next day if you are up to it, lots of dr's say that having an HSG "clears things out" and actually makes getting pg more likely.

[MeadowMom]

Thank you for asking this...I also have one scheduled next month and I am starting to worry about it. My Dr, is prescribing me a narcotic to take before since we know that one tube is blocked and the other is partially blocked.
I hope your goes quickly, as pain free as possible, and you get great results from it!

[Coco99]

The speculum insertion was the difficult part for me... so if you dont have a hard tije with that, its not that big of a deal.

I would definitely suggest doing it... we found out my tubes were indeed blocked... its a very hard news to take... but its the only way to get to other solutions if need be... Knowelege is power...

Coco
xxx

[Tandy]

i had some air preventing the dye from pushing through one of my tubes...so that was painful when they tried to push it through (they eventually did thank god.)

my doc let me watch the whole thing on a tv screen and showed me after and explained what they found: everything normal!

let's hope yours goes well! it wasn't that bad even with the pain...well worth it!

[LiamsMommy31905]

Thank you so much for all the information, ladies!

I think I'm a bit less anxious about the whole procedure now that I've heard firsthand what it's like.

I've been through 2 IUIs (1 perfectly timed and painless...and 1 not-so- perfectly timed and quite uncomfortable) so I've definitely been down both roads with the speculum before.

I'm assuming that they'll let me see what's going on via the TV. Here's hoping everything's open for business!

Thanks again!

[gumby74]

My HSG was more uncomfortable than painful. The biggest problem I had was getting into the position they wanted me in when they did the test. If I had any dignity before the lest, I certainly didn't after. Best of luck!

[biomama]

Leah, I'm getting my HSG this cycle too! I'm CD2 so it will probably be later in the week. I'll let you know how it goes... GL with yours!

And thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's been great to read them (though it sounds like it wasn't so fun for some of you

[CatholicBFMama]

Mine was very easy. The only time I felt any discomfort was when there was some resistance to the dye, so the OB gave the plunger (or whatever they use) a little more pressure to force the dye through.

I had very, very mild cramps for the next day, but not even as bad as usual AF cramps. The worst part, IMHO, is the sticky feeling the dye gives you! That's not exactly an area that I like to stick to itself!

[LiamsMommy31905]

Eew! I really don't want to be sticky!

Here's another question - my RE prescribed me 6 antibiotic pills to be taken the day before, the day of, and the day following the procedure. Did anyone else have to do that? I have historically had a wicked reaction to the antibiotic he prescribed and I'd rather not take it (I told him in advance that I get really nauseated on doxycycline...but he said it's the one I need.)

thanks again!

[papschmitty]

Mine was just uncomfortable until the moment when my uterus was full but the dye hadn't spilled out my tubes yet. Then it hurt like a mother!!! It was only a second or two but I felt like my uterus was going to burst. As soon as the dye spilled out my tubes it was fine. I had a tiny bit of cramping and spotting afterward. My HSG was normal. NOTE TO SELF: Do not wear a thong to future HSG appointments- the pantyliner sticks to things it shouldn't! I did not take any antibiotics before or after.

[biomama]

I will have to take doxycycline too. 2 pills the day of, then 2/day for the next 2 days. They will also give me something for pain/cramps, if I need it.

They also said I should have someone drive me... is that because of the pain drug? so if I don't take it, I can drive? Or is there some other reason?

DH can't take me because of work (he just started residency, so he is working 80 hour weeks, ouch!) and I haven't told anyone in real life what is going on.

Also, if you can't drive, are you out of it? Can you go to work afterwards????

[LisaG]

Biomama - with my first one, no one told me about having someone drive me, so I drove myself. Had some mild cramps, but wasn't out of it at all. I took ibuprofen ahead of time, nothing stronger. I had mild cramps for about an hour afterwards.

[papschmitty]

I only took ibuprofen too. My mom came with me but I felt fine so I drove us both home. I was crampy but just fine to drive.

[Masel]

If they are having you do a HSG because there is a known reason you might have scarred tubes then the dire warnings might be valid. If you are getting one as a matter of course then don't let the warnings scare you. I had heard all that scary stuff. My DH took the afternoon off, I took tylenol ahead of time, etc. . I felt very minor cramping. We even made jokes about this is what it must be to be kidnapped and probed by aliens. The screen with a live view of the dye filling my uterus didn't help the alien imagery. Don't laugh during a HSG. It scares the radiologist.

[molarmama]

Mine was easy. The most uncomfortable part was when they filled the air pocket around the catheter to hold in in place. My monthly cramps are FAR worse than that. And I forgot to take the antibiotics. When I remembered 2 days later and called, they said not to worry about it.

[TexasMum]

I had this done last summer. Mine wasn't bad at all. I just took an ibuprofen before hand. I was very scared of it because my mother told me hers was a bad experience but hers was also 10 years ago and mine proved to be a different routine. My tubes weren't blocked at all but I did have some polyps. Dr scheduled surgery to remove them right when he got the results. He removed the polyps and some scar tissue and 3 weeks later I was pregnant. :

[FtMPapa]

Originally Posted by crazyrunningmama

. I was glad to have had it done, for sure. And do the deed later that day or the next day if you are up to it, lots of dr's say that having an HSG "clears things out" and actually makes getting pg more likely.

Oh - don't do that! They should tell you not to have intercourse for 48 hours or something like that afterward. The reason for that is that it could introduce an infection into your uterus, and you don't want that. People are commonly told the same thing after an IUI or any other procedure that involves going through the cervix into the uterus.

This is also why some doctors routinely prescribe antibiotics - just in case. Not because they're necessary, but you should be on the look out for signs of infection post-HSG, just in case, whether you take the abx or not.

Don't worry about missing out that month, HSGs are typically scheduled for between the 5th and 10th day of your cycle, if I remember right, so you're unlikely to be hitting the right time of the month to conceive, anyway.

The "clears things out" effect is true, but that's over the next few months, not days. If you have a small blockage, it might push it through without it ever being seen.

My HSG was totally fine, no worse than an IUI and better than some PAP smears I've had. I didn't take any meds before, but I took some OTC pain relief/muscle relaxant afterward, I got a little crampy later that day, probably from running quickly down the street because I was late for something.

Anecdotally, I've more often heard people who did have fallopian blockages say it was more painful for them, but that's obviously not definitive at all, so if it hurts, don't assume it's because something is wrong.

Good luck!