posted
Some people find it painful. It wasn't too bad for me.
You are on a table under the x-ray equipment. They insert a speculum, like a pap smear. They clean you with betadine. A tiny catheter is inserted through the cervix and into the uterus. A syringe of dye is attached to the catheter, and the dye is injected into the uterus. They watch the screen to see if the dye enters the tubes and flows out into the abdomen....it looks like swirls of smoke. If there is debris, a spasm, or blockage in the tube, this is where the pain occurs.
If the dye doesn't enter the tubes, the doctor should pull back on the catheter to make sure the little balloon that keeps it in place is blocking the cervix so that dye is not escaping out, and then he should try agin with more dye.
There is a chance the tubes will spasm and make it look like the tube is blocked. There is also a possibility of debris being in the tube. This was my case. The doctor had me rock from side to side while he injected more dye, and it finally broke away, and the tube flowed freely.
You may want to take some advil before the procedure. You will probably have cramping and possibly spotting for a couple of days. It's also a good idea to take a pad along to catch excess dye when you redress. Dr B recommends asking your doctor for a preventative antibiotic to take before the procedure.
posted
Kim, this was posted earlier by Julia, a CH nurse on the thread hsg, is it reasonable at this point?
In general, we do not recommend having an HSG earlier than one year following surgery. There are exceptions to this, 1) women over 40, and 2) someone who has already had tubal occlusion for reasons other than TL. In the past we used to counsel to have the test if not pregnant in 6 - 8 months, but Dr. Berger has changed his thinking on this. We now feel that waiting one year is more appropriate since false results are so frequent and the test does carry risks. It is not unusual for a woman to take a year or more to conceive, so we do not think it is necessary for women to rush to have this done sooner than 12 months following surgery. If a woman is over 40, we recommend the testing sooner if the woman is considering regular IVF if the tubes are blocked. If she is considering donor egg IVF as an option, there is no rush to have the HSG earlier than one year following TR.
posted
kim, everyone is different. some concieve right away while others, it takes a little longer. the hsg is a test to make sure that the surgery was a success (checkign to see if your tubes are blocked or open). you usually get it done 6 months from the tr if you have not had a positive. some women get it sooner, some later. i got a positive two weeks after having mine done. hth.
posted
I have been spending most of my days reading through the threads and I keep coming upon HSG. When do you typically have this done? Is this something that is done if you don't get a BFP after so long? I think I am getting more confused by the minute. It sounds like it is so much different ttc after tr. My family always called my fertile myrtle. I am a little nervous now thinking it might not be as easy as I thought it would be.
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