HSG - Hysterosalpinogram

When we set up our appointment at the fertility clinic, we were given a big list of tests to do before our appointment. One of the tests I had to get done was a hysterosalpinogram, or HSG. It is essentially an X-ray to see if your tubes are clear. It needs to be done after your period, but before CD 12.

I did some research on the test, and a lot of women said it as one of the most painful things they had ever gone through. I was quiet nervous going to the test, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to go back to work that day.



I was sent to an X-ray clinic that specialized in doing HSG. I was asked to empty my bladder when I arrived. Then I changed into a gown and waited. The videos I watched, and blogs I read, showed a pretty modern clinic, where the X-Ray was relatively portable, and there were flat screens showing you the procedure. However, my clinic was not like that at all. It was old, and looked like it hadn't been renovated or updated since it was built, probably in the 80s. The X-ray machine was on tracks on the ceiling, and the monitor the radiologist used was an old black and white monitor. There was no second monitor for me to watch the procedure.

I was even more nervous based on the state of the clinic. However, to my pleasant surprise, the procedure wasn't painful at all, and I didn't have any cramps. Most women say the pain happens when the dye is injected into your uterus. But I barely felt the injection. I had a speculum to keep my vagina open, and a catheter was inserted to the uterus. Some women have a clamp to keep the cervix in place, but I didn't have that. Once the dye is in, the radiologist asked me to tilt from one side to the other while he took the pictures. The whole procedure took about 7 minutes. If your tubes are clear, the dye flows out of the Fallopian tubes, and into the stomach cavity, and then absorbed by the body. It could also come back out your cervix. I didn't have any leakage from the cervix.

Unfortunately, because there was no monitor for me to watch the procedure, I didn't know if my tubes were clear or not right away. The radiologist didn't tell me the result either, so I have to wait until we see our fertility doctor.

How was your HSG experience?