HSG: Never Again (I hope...)

My hysterosalpingogram (HSG) was scheduled for the morning of October 4th.  The doctor had prescribed me an antibiotic to prevent infection, which I was to start taking 24 hours before the procedure, in addition to Midol for any discomfort I may experience.

I was really, honestly SO SO SO hopeful going into the HSG.  One of my best friends in the world, who struggled with infertility for a year and didn't ovulate due to severe PCOS, was able to get pregnant without assistance immediately following her HSG.

Here's how it works: I checked in to the Radiology department and was shown back to a changing area, where I put on a backwards hospital gown, tied up in some confusing way, and some SEXY thick socks.  Jared waited for me in a small room right next to the changing area, and I headed into the procedure room, immediately across the hall.  We were told that it shouldn't take any more than 15 minutes or so. 

There was a massive x-ray machine and a table, which the nurse asked me to take a seat on while she talked me through the details of the procedure.  I had already heard all about it from my friend, and I had done a bit of research online, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.  Basically, you lay down on the table, and the radiologist inserts a tube through your cervix, into your uterus.  Then, he/she pushes dye through that tube and looks at how the dye spreads through your uterus and up into your fallopian tubes.  Sometimes there are blockages in the tubes, preventing eggs from reaching the uterus, which can explain a lot of fertility problems.  For my friend, just the act of flushing out her tubes "jumpstarted" her ovaries to produce eggs.  My big unknown was the pain - I had read that it was unbearable (worse than labor), similar to menstrual cramps, and nothing.  So really, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

The radiologist came in and introduced himself, and I laid down and pulled my gown up to my chest.  By the way, it's not really a whole lot of fun to be flat out naked in a room with strangers.  Just saying.  They positioned the x-ray so that everything was focused around my mid-section. The nurse stood at the head of the table and told me stretch my arms out above my head and grab her hands to bear down. 

The tube?  No problem.  Like getting a pap.

The dye?  Ow.  Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow. 

The radiologist was being encouraging...until he told me to start rolling back and forth on the table. 

Um, excuse me?  Nobody mentioned that I would need to move during this process.  I have no idea if this pain was similar to labor, but it sure as hell wasn't like any menstrual cramps that I've ever experienced, and I've had some bad cramps.  With tears rolling down my face, I somehow managed a couple of rolls from hip to hip, until the dye made it through both tubes.

The radiologist told me right then and there that my fallopian tubes looked clear, and that everything looked good.  I could hardly breathe, but I think I said something along the lines of a faint, "Yay.  Thank you."  He also reiterated that an HSG can improve fertility in the short term, so that I may get lucky in the next three cycles or so.

He left the room, and the nurse handed me a large maxipad and helped me to the bathroom.  My friend had warned me that the dye was blue, and that I would be spotting blue for the next 24 hours, but mine was clear.  I did, however, have some blood, which was perfectly normal, given that it's a fairly invasive procedure.  I'm pretty sure I was out of there in ten minutes.

Jared drove me home (after scolding me for not keeping the socks.  What can I say?  The boy likes hospital socks.), where I went to bed, beyond glad that when I had said the words "minor procedure" to the woman I report to, she insisted that I take the whole day off.  I stayed on the antibiotic for about another 36 hours, ending that run a bit early because I couldn't handle the digestive issues it caused. 

Three cycles came and went, and it's now April.  Obviously, we didn't get lucky.  But we did have an impending appointment with the fertility specialist, including analysis of all of these tests and a recommendation for moving forward.  Here's hoping.