procedure......?

Question

i've had 2 miscarriages, one in april and one in august(last weekend) and my OB/gyn referred me to a specialist so he can run some tests on me to figure out what is wrong and he is going to do this one procedure. It involves injecting water into my uterus and taking x-rays to see if i have any abnormalities of the uterus. Has anybody/anybody you know had this done before?? was it painful,uncomfortable or for the most part ok?? Im really nervous because i've never been thru something like this and dont know of anybody that has...please no rude answers!

Answer 1

I am unsure if this is the procedure you are having, because a HSG is done for infertility. You obviously are not having that problem, as you are able to get pregnant, but not able to carry a pregnancy. An HSG uses contrast media (dye) and x-rays. A hysterosonogram uses water and ultrasound to evaluate the uterus, but I have not known it to be used to evalutate repeated miscarriages. Hysterosonograms are usually used to try to find a reason for abnormal vaginal bleeding. So the x-ray and water has me confused, as there is not a test that uses both of those. But, here is some information on HSGs.....

I work in a free standing imaging facility, but I have never had an HSG....although I have assisted the radiologist in hundreds of these. We very often do a HSG on a woman, only to have them back in our office a few months later for their OB ultrasound! And that always makes us smile!

Where I work, both your OB/GYN and the radiologist work together to perform this study. There is also a female radiologic technologist in the room with you to assist the doctors. You lay on your back on the x-ray table, with your rear-end near the end of the edge of the table. You are in the same position as you are for a pap smear. You will have a sheet over your lower body. The only person down between your legs is your OB/GYN. The radiologist and the technologist are not invading your privacy. The OB introduces a speculum in order to see your cervix. He introduces a skinny tube through the cervical opening (cervical os). Once the tube has bypassed the cervix and is in the uterus, the speculum is removed and the technologist helps you carefully scoot up the table and straighten your legs....we have to be careful, so the tube doesn't come out. At this point, we use a fluoroscopic x-ray tube, which allows us to watch, on a TV screen, as a contrast material is gently introduced into the uterus via that tube. We can see this on the TV screen in real time, as it is happening. If your tubes are open and patent, the contrast will flow from your uterus, into both uterine tubes and spill out into the peritoneal space. Once we see this, the OB takes the tube out of your body, and both doctors leave the room. The radiologic technologist will generally take three x-ray images of your pelvis with the regular overhead x-ray tube. You usually know if your tubes are open and not blocked before the study is done.

The contrast itself is not radioactive....it just allows us to see the size and shape of soft tissues. We use the same contrast to see your ureters, which attach your kidneys to your bladder. Without a contrast media, the uterine tubes and the ureters cannot be visualized on x-ray. Since we are not introducing contrast into your blood system, the risk of a reaction to the contrast is nothing. In 15 years, I have never seen a single adverse reaction to the contrast....not even a minor one!

Now, how will this feel to you? Well, as I said, I have never had a HSG, but I have talked and interacted with hundreds of women who have had the procedure. When the tube enters the cervix, you will most likely feel some cramping. Most women describe it as mild menstrual like pain. An OTC pain reliever can help, and pre-medicating is just fine to do. You may experience some spotting. You will end up with a sticky, clear fluid on your panties, as the contrast left in your uterus will leak out of you. We supply our HSG patients with a panty liner, but you may want to make sure you have one with you, in case one is not offered to you.

The contrast which is introduced into the uterine (Fallopian) tubes seems to "flush" debris from the tubes. This seems to help in many cases.

"Pregnancy rates in several studies have been reported to be slightly increased in the first months following a hysterosalpingogram. This may be due to the fact that the flushing of the tubes with the contrast could open a minor blockage or clean out some debris that may be a factor that is preventing the couple from conceiving. Some of these studies suggest that using oil based contrast provides a greater increase in pregnancy rates after a hysterosalpingogram than does the use of water based contrast."

http://www.advancedfertility.com/

I do not think the oil based contrast is very common anymore. You might ask what kind of contrast they are giving you, just for curiosity's sake! Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

the technical term is HSG. Ive never had one, but know women who have. It can be uncomfortable, so take a Tylenol beforehand. Its a good idea, it will dx any blockages or abnormalities