So I went in for my HSG test today and it was an experience I wasn't expecting. First off, they make you fast for 4 hours prior to the procedure. Well, with working nights fasting 4 hours prior to the procedure means not eating for the entire day. Oh my I was hungry. Secondly, I don't know if it was just the radiology center I went to that requires this but they need me to bring an unopened pregnancy test just to ensure that I was not with child and that the doctor was able to continue with the HSG safely.
So I was told that I should take Tylenol or Motrin and a muscle relaxer so nothing would spasm and create a problem during the test. Because I wasn't able to eat anything, I opted to not take any pain relievers or muscle relaxers. So I was a little scared that this was going to hurt like hell. Paps are already uncomfortable and I was assuming this was the granddaddy of all paps. Actually, I was a bit surprised. It was not painful at all but slightly uncomfortable although it was totally bearable. I'll take you through the process.
First, they make you undress from the waist down. They'll give you a gown and you'll go into the exam room equipped with the x-ray machine and several monitors for the doctor to look at when he's doing the procedure. You'll be sterilized and they will wash out the inside of you with a surgical soap to prevent infection. A very small catheter will be inserted in the cervix and then slowly dye will be injected. I swear I did not feel anything when this happened. I was expecting pain but it was virtually pain free. The doctor and nurse were really nice and made me feel extremely comfortable because when you're spread eagle and going through this process, the last thing you need is to be even more uncomfortable. The whole procedure lasted maybe 30 minutes from start to finish. I was very happy with this experience (aside from hitting traffic to and from there).
Now for my results. Good news and bad news. Bad news was that both my fallopian tubes were blocked. I can't add the pictures up here now but give me a day or two and I'll be able to upload them. You can see where the dye was just sitting in my uterus and basically had no where to go. At one point during the procedure, the doctor asked me to describe how I was feeling. I told him I was fine and wasn't uncomfortable. Now the reason why he asked me was because either he kept filling my uterus with dye up to it's capacity or he increased the PSI because during the test, he was able to clear the blockages from both tubes. Obviously that's the good news! My tubes are clear and ready to start dropping eggs! He was extremely happy with how everything looked but said there was something about the outside of the uterus that he wasn't too content about but nonetheless, he didn't think there should be an issue with my tubes transporting eggs now.
Thank God! I was praying for this news because I'm literally reaching a point where this is all so overwhelming. I know not a lot of people nowadays are religious but I really try to keep my faith. For those who don't know, I'm Catholic but I'm not really active, meaning I regularly attend church like I should. I recently started researching who the Patron Saint of infertility is and I came across a couple of Saints but one really stood out to me. Saint Margaret of Antioch. So I started praying to her and of course to God to help me through all of this. I'm not trying to push my religious beliefs on anyone because I truly believe that all religions are sacred. I know it goes against the Christian belief but I honestly don't care and I believe in my heart God wouldn't care either. There are people who will disagree with me but we'll just agree to disagree in this case. Anyways, so I feel like I'm on cloud 9 now. The thought that maybe (just maybe) my blocked tubes were the only reason why we weren't able to get pregnant.
I was so ecstatic to tell my hubby. When he came into the room to take a look at the pictures from the test, I could tell he was extremely nervous. So when I told him that both tubes were blocked, his heart dropped. But after telling him the doctor was able to clear both tubes, he was just elated and that made my day. To see the man that I love and cherish become so excited made all of this worthwhile. I just hope that this means we're able to conceive naturally and without problems.
Now you're probably wondering what was the blockage (like a blood clot). Although it's not 100% but the doctor believes it was a mucous plug which happens to a lot of women. He doesn't know how it ends up there or what causes it but it is very common. There are other types of blockages that can cause tubes to clog up such as scar tissue. I read that the main contributor to blocked tubes was pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which is usually from an STD. Now, I want to let you know that I've never had an STD and I still had blocked tubes. So you can be as healthy as can be and still experience this. I don't want someone to be naive and think that it can never happen to you. That was my thought and it did happen to me. I don't want to instill fear in you either but just be prepared for anything. If you are experiencing some trouble conceiving, try asking for an HSG as soon as possible to rule out blocked tubes. There's no sense in starting fertility treatments such as Chlomid or Metformin, etc. if your tubes are blocked. If they're blocked, nothing is getting through. Save yourself the hassle, money, heartbreak, and stress and try to push your RE or OBGYN for the HSG.
Like I said, I will post the pictures from the procedure soon. They're actually really cool to look at and see what exactly is in there. I didn't know this: the uterus prior to becoming pregnant is actually very small. I was thinking it was a decent size since a baby grows in there but it's not. The analogy the doctor gave was the egg and sperm are tiny and they need a small, confined space to meet each other or they'll get lost. Makes sense.
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement." - Helen Keller
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