To HSG or to not?

Gretchen1771 · July 2015

Hello ladies,

I see many of you have talked about your HSG experiences. Many ladies here have also recommended reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which I have started. In the book it states that a HSG should only be done when other issues, such as ovulatory dysfunction, are ruled out. My RE is pretty sure that is my issue, though I am supposed to be scheduling a HSG between CDs 6-10. It seems to be a very invasive and uncomfortable procedure and I'm not really sure it's necessary, at least not yet. Have any of you been in a similar situation and turned it down? I have also seen that some of you have been very relieved getting it done. I would greatly appreciate input from both sides.

Also, unrelated to HSG, I noticed that most of you do not have tickers. I just put mine up the other day. Nothing was mentioned about it in the guidelines for this board that I saw, but should I be hiding it for my posts?

Thanks for your time and I hope you all are having a good Monday

moodytuesday · July 2015

I wouldn't go forward with any treatment without having an HSG first. I had all my blood work and ultrasounds done, and everything came back great. My husbands SA came back great. I went in for my HSG and found out my tubes are blocked. My HSG was painless and lasted maybe 10 mins. I would also be surprised if your RE lets you go forward with treatment with declining it.

Gretchen1771 · July 2015

My RE did make it seem like something that needed to be done in order to move forward. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just so he could bill for something else. I only questioned it from the book. Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I'm glad to hear it was painless

SmileyMcGee · July 2015

Before having mine is had no problems apart from very irregular periods. Discovered I actually have PCOS & the HSG was the only thing that could pick that up.
Again, was a bit uncomfortable, but no more so than a period!
x

jnissa · July 2015

I would definitely recommend you have it before moving forward with any treatments. Even if an ovulatory issue were diagnosed, that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't also corresponding tubal or uterine issues working against you. Fertility treatments are expensive (financially and emotionally) and you don't want to undergo doing them unless you are sure that all of the "equipment" is also functioning. Most good RE's are going to insist on one before they let you proceed with a treatment plan.

If it's any consolation, as you said, not all women have issues with them. I barely felt it happening and didn't find it any more invasive than a pap smear. So maybe you'll be in my lucky camp!

wbird · July 2015

I 3rd or 4th the moving forward with HSG testing. It's not horribly invasive (as painful as my experience was....). It's supposed to be pretty pain free, except they couldn't get my cat all the way. Hindsight being 20/20, the issue was more in my head then the actual experience. But I was also relieved that I got it.

GoldenKeys · July 2015

Hi, you should definitely get the HSG. The book was really speaking to the women who start demanding tests after two or three months of trying. If you are seeing an RE, you're already well past that stage.

graphicgranite · July 2015

Hi there, I was also a bit skeptical about getting the hsg because I knew I had ovulatory problems and I felt I had no risk factors for tubal blockage. But I would recommend doing it because many of the treatments you would try to manage ovulatory problems would not work if your tubes are not open, so you should rule that out before wasting time and money.
Also, for me it was really a minor procedure with just very short term pain and I would not consider it extremely invasive. Good luck!

Gretchen1771 · July 2015

Thank you so much for all the input. I feel much more comfortable going forward with it.

AdorkablePixie · July 2015

@Gretchen1771 - I agree with everyone else, have the HSG done. It's really not that bad and doesn't last long at all. It's worth it to know that everything is as it should be. I think almost all REs order this as the initial workup for a patient.

My DH and I have been TTC since January of 2014 as well!

mycinderelladay · July 2015

I had mine done in the round of tests when we first saw the RE. I have been diagnosed with PCOS and hypothyroidism for years, but we all agreed (RE, me, and DH) that it was necessary to make sure there weren't other things wrong, too. Unfortunately--and please don't let this deter you--mine was pretty painful, but the pain only lasted a little while. I am still glad that I got it done, and I was super relieved that my doc told me the results right then. No stressing over it for days! Anyway, good luck in your decision; whichever way you go, I'm sure you're doing what you and your team feel is best, and that's what's important.

KLake42 · July 2015

I had mine after 3 failed IUIs. My doctor didn't recommend it to start because the IUIs were my first-ever attempt to get pregnant (relying on donor sperm), but after the 3 IUIs, I wanted it.

I'm glad I got it. The dye got stuck partway down the left tube, but after I rolled to my side and more dye was pushed, it went on through. Maybe I just had a spasm, but maybe I had some gunk that needed to be cleared out. So, there's a chance that one of my IUIs (the one where I had follies on the left) failed because of a gunked up tube, and now I'm clear! (No way to know, but maybe).

But the HSG *might* have improved my chances moving forward, and that's important to me at this stage. Statistics suggest that it bumps up odds for a lot of women, by flushing the tubes and making it easier for the sperm to swim up, and egg to float down! It definitely helped in letting me know I didn't have an actual blockage.

That said, it was very painful for me. I hope I don't ever have to do it again. (The pain was over as soon as the test was over, just a couple minutes.) But I'm really glad I did it.

blsav23 · July 2015

KLake42 said:
I had mine after 3 failed IUIs. My doctor didn't recommend it to start because the IUIs were my first-ever attempt to get pregnant (relying on donor sperm), but after the 3 IUIs, I wanted it.

I'm glad I got it. The dye got stuck partway down the left tube, but after I rolled to my side and more dye was pushed, it went on through. Maybe I just had a spasm, but maybe I had some gunk that needed to be cleared out. So, there's a chance that one of my IUIs (the one where I had follies on the left) failed because of a gunked up tube, and now I'm clear! (No way to know, but maybe).

But the HSG *might* have improved my chances moving forward, and that's important to me at this stage. Statistics suggest that it bumps up odds for a lot of women, by flushing the tubes and making it easier for the sperm to swim up, and egg to float down! It definitely helped in letting me know I didn't have an actual blockage.

That said, it was very painful for me. I hope I don't ever have to do it again. (The pain was over as soon as the test was over, just a couple minutes.) But I'm really glad I did it.

This is great advice & a great story as to why every woman should have one before starting treatment. Yes, it hurts but it is over with very quickly & could potential prevent months of emotional turmoil.

MrsM00re87 · August 2015

While I was seeing my OB for my fertility issues, she actually tried prescribing clomid before scheduling me for an HSG. I refused and insisted on having an HSG prior, what is the point in wasting valuable TTC time if your tubes are blocked. My HSG was not painful, but I took some Advil prior and afterwards as a precaution. Apparently they were really surprised I had tolerated it so well. And they weren't gonna let me leave without someone to drive me home (we had to drive over an hour to the clinic), I honestly felt fine and had my mom with me who drove us home. I too would not be willing to do any sort of fertility regimen without having the procedure done first - waste of time and money if you're tubes are blocked. Doesn't hurt to cover all your bases.

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