Side effects from HSG?

[wenders]

Hi all. I'm going for an HSG this afternoon, and was wondering if other people have had it done, and what they experienced afterwards. They told me to take advil beforehand due to possible cramping during the procedure, but no one said anything about what it could feel like afterwards. Any insight would be appreciated--thanks! Wendy.

[chaisemom]

I had one done about 4 years ago and I remember having period cramps afterwards for a day or 2 and it hurt pretty bad during the procedure. I remember crying when they put the dye in. It felt like really really really bad menstrual cramps. They forgot to tell me that it needed to be done right after my period, just in case I happened to be pregnant so the first time I went in they sent me home & I had to make another appt. after my period. I have heard though that some people get pg. right away because it totally clears your tubes. Good luck!!! Take some good drugs before you go!!! I didn't take any and I wish I would have!!

[sashuap]

What is an HSG?  What is it for?

[tura]

I had one done a few months back.  It really wasn't all that bad.  The procedure itself felt like a little pinch and then some pressure.  I did have terrible cramps afterwards but they eased up with some motrin.
They say that afterwards there is a really good chance of getting a bfp, so goodluck!  I hope that all goes well with you today!

[diggy]

During the procedure... very,very bad cramps.  I wasn't ready for that!  Ouch... Then afterwards, more cramps and just uncomforable.  And some brownish spotting for about 2 days.  
Good luck!  
My friend had it done and it was even worse for her cuz she has a blocked tube!  Apparently that is normal for increased pain due to the fact the is pressure from the dye and no place for it to go-when a blocked tube is involved.

[wenders]

Thanks everyone, for the advice. (and for the person who wrote with the question, an HSG is when the doctor or radiologist inserts iodine dye into your uturus to see if it comes out the ends of your fallopain tubes to make sure everything is clear--they take x-rays during it). I just got back from the procedure. I think the 3 advil and the corner of a xanax that I took beforehand helped, b/c there was very little cramping, just mild discomfort. The part I didn't expect (or hear about) was the outpouring of bright red blood when I stood up (and some lovely clots, too) Sorry if that's TMI, but thought it should be fair warning for those who still have this to look forward to. The thin pad I had brought with me was woefully inadequate! The doc said to watch and if it gets worse to call them, but otherwise some bleeding is normal. They also told me to expect mild cramping and to watch for any increase in temperature. All in all, not fun, but not the worst thing either. And it IS nice to know that all is clear up there. Now if only I could figure out why I keep getting these early miscarriages since as of now, i think i've taken every test under the sun!

[Sunshine30]

Thank you so much for asking this question.  I am going for an HSG tomorrow and really didn't know what to expect.  Hope it's not too bad.

[neha786]

Hi all. i have also done a HSG is very uncomfortable. i was also adviced to take painkillers before the xray takes place. i felt very embarrrased knowing that a man who was to insert the dye in me. u have to undress and open ur legs wide. it wasnt easy to go thru all this. got cramps for a minute but it goes away, infact mine was worse as they could not see the spill at the end of the ovary, which he ahd to put the dye 3 times, so u can imagine the pain i went thru.bleeding for like 4 days. But now my Question is, today is 15 days to the HSG. im feeling very weird, really bad back pain, headach, feel like throwing up, but cant. uneasy. whole body ach..cant sllep well.. please advice if u are goin thru the same. is it possible the the conception is taking place or is it that ita a general sickness like a cols or something, im really worried as it had never happend like this.. i just wish im pregnant. please anyone to advice please post me..il really appriciate.

Neha

[jazzy4u]

hi there!,
never ever posted an entry before, but felt compelled to do so since i'm on this journey. i'm 39 and have had one miscarriage and been trying to conceive for the last 8 months. my doctor finally had me get the 3rd day cycle blood tests and then the hsg. i had it done this past tues. and it really hurt. it started with a slight discomfort, then slowly became more intense, in fact i started to breathe like i was having contractions. i have endometriosis , so i'm not shy to intense menstrual pain, but this was serious cramping and pressure. i took painkillers before, so i can only imagine what i would have felt like had i not prepared myself. well now, 2 days later i still have cramping and a little spotting but i feel ok in gen'l.  i'm hoping to conceive in the next few months as I am running out of time. by the way, i had no blockage, however, my uterus has an abnormal shape which is the culprit for early miscarriages. good luck to you...

[awade]

i am going in for my HSG today at 2:00 and i am so scared any advice?

[babybrain]

I had this done a couple months ago. I was super scared and nervous not knowing what to expect. I took 2 advil on my way there and kept myself calm and just tried to breath. The nurse was really sweet and was talking to me through the whole thing. It helped me to look at the tv screen and see what they were doing. They weren't successful and had to do it 3 times, I stayed calm and felt absolutely nothing. No pain, no cramping and barely bled afterwards. Just take deep breaths and relax, remember that you are doing this for a good reason. You will be fine.

[babybrain]

I would go get a pregnancy test. These sound like symptoms and 15 days would be about right... Good luck to you!

[womenprop]

hi I am 25 yrs old, I had HSG about three days ago and it was very uncomfortable. NOW I am having the worst CRAMPS in history!  is this normal?

[BabsNYC]

Hi everyone - I just had an HSG about a month ago. Didn't know what to expect. The stirrups sure aren't like the gyn's, that's for sure! (the radiologist jokes that theirs were more comfortable)
they used a little balloon to open the cervix. Uncomfortable! Then the dye just felt like a lot of pressure... unusual achiness. But I figure having a baby will be a whole lot more painful!! :-)
I had spotting for a few days, and generally felt pretty "tender" down there. I still feel like i have residual crampy feeling, but not bad.

[MKP_09]

Going in for an HSG this Friday. I am a bit freaked out from the responses, sounds like it affects each person differently. So is taking a couple of ibuprofin or advil really suppose to help?

Just feeling anxious, hoping the pain wont be that bad. I am on the road to more fertiliy testing & procedures so I know this is just part of the whole process to get pregnant.

Been trying for over a year with no luck. Just seems so overwhelming at times. So many appointments, tests and nurses having to go "up" there and I'm not even pregnant yet!

How long did the procedure take?

[mami1323]

Everyone has a different threshold for pain.  To me it was painful, felt like a lot of pressure and bad cramping.  Now that I've gone through labor, an HSG is a cake walk.  I do recommend the Motrin.  It helps with the cramping after the procedure.  Take it before you go in.  My doctor also prescribed anti-biotics for me as well but not all doctors do that.  It's a pretty quick procedure, maybe 20 minutes.  You aren't in pain the entire time, just the first few when they blow up the balloon and inject the die.  Good luck.  I wound up pregnant almost a year after my HSG.  I had also tried for over a year.

[Katiedid226]

Just had the HSG today.  There was definitely cramping.  I was told to take Tylenol by my nurse however as she said there have been links between Advil and miscarriages.  I've heard that before as well, so if you're trying to conceive stay away from Advil!

[upindust]

I had one done today, I took up to 800mg of pain medicine (doctors told me I could) all I had were light cramps during and the doctor would stop until my uterus adjusted to the object and dye.

Afterwards well right now I feel bloated, gassy and cramps.. it's uncomfortable but the entire proceedure is bareable.. also I am SHOCKED at those of you who weren't told they needed to get a pregnancy test done by a doctor 24 hours before your HSG.. before mine I had to get blood tests done on the 3rd day of my period and the pregnancy test right before..before they would even do my test.

[upindust]

if you are having horrible camps and sickness there could be a possible infection from the balloon they insert.. it can happen anytime a not fully sterile object is entered into a sterile environment (nothing is ever sterile enough for our uterus)

[37andtrying]

I had the HSG today. Do not read all over the internet or it will scare you. Seriously ladies, it's a 5 minutes procedure if that, and you do feel a LITTLE pain and pressure when they put the catheter through your cervix but it's nowhere near what you'll read on the internet. I didn't even feel the dye at all. Those who write about intense pain must have a very low pain tolerance. I have endometriosis and let me tell you, cramps from THAT is painful. What to expect after the HSG - little bit of cramping for the rest of the day and a little bit of bleeding. I wish I never read the comments posted by anyone before the procedure because I was expecting it to be torture. All it did was make me extremely nervous.

[suecmelody]

I had this done years ago and I am still traumatised from the pain and the overall experience.
My Dr was supposed to do this test as part of my endoscopic surgery for endometriosis (while I was still under anesthetic), but did not because he did not bother to check my chart before operating on me. Therefore I had to have it done as a separate procedure with no pain medication at all! It was excruciating! It was one of the worst procedures I ever underwent! The years of pain from my endometriosis was nothing compared to this procedure.
Your assumption that women who experience a lot of pain from this procedure must have a low pain threshold is ignorant and judgy. Just because it did not affect you negatively does not mean all other women will have the same experience. Shame on you!
Spasming during imaging can cause a problem with the test results.
According to Dr Susan P Williams,
https://bayareafertilitydoctor.com/treatment/blocked-fallopian-tubes/  
"Some women find this test painful, so your doctor may prescribe you a pain medication or suggest an over-the-counter pain medication. . . Your doctor may also prescribe a sedative to help you relax . . .during the test the radiologist will clean the cervix and may inject a local anesthetic into the cervix to reduce discomfort."
"sometimes the procedure can yield a result that is a “false positive,” meaning the tubes appear to be blocked but are not really scarred or blocked and instead have just spasmed during the imaging".
If my Dr had done any of the above stated pain remediations he could have saved me from a lot of agony and my tests would likely have been far more accurate.
I would recommend anyone who is considering this procedure to discuss in advance with their Dr some form of pain medicine or muscle relaxant. I sure wish I had!

[Leigh817]

Hi I am 44 years old and I had an HSG today.
It hurt sooooo bad.  I do not like pain yet I am in Love with a Quebec man and we want a family.
I have had my tubes burned, and the gynecologist informed me I would have been in even more pain if my tubes were intact.

I hope I will never have to go through this test ever again!!!!!!

Leigh

[AnnieBrooke]

I have had two HSGs and one was nothing to write home about, very painless, and the other was very painful.  Come to find out (from my RE) that it is the skill of the doctor that made the difference.  He always recommends doctor #1 because hers are the best in our city.  She is also the one that didn't hurt me.  So maybe that is the difference in the reports above -- some radiologists are better at this than others.

[AnnieBrooke]

To follow up, the HSG today was no sweat.  Having the speculum go in hurt about as much as it always does to have a speculum inserted in a standard pelvic exam.  The rest did not hurt at all.  Good luck everyone going in for an HSG, may they all be as easy as mine was.

[japaws]

Hi I had an HSG done about 16 days ago, besides the fact that I found the procedure very painful and almost humiliating, I also developed a tenderness in my mouth and tongue after 4-5 days which now seems to spread in the esophagus.

In the last 2 days, while urinating, I've also noticed a pain in the lower, right side of my abdomen.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

[Janea1279]

My experience was the same. Very painful and my right side has been hurting since the procedure. I never had any blood or other problems that would constitute an infection. My test results were good but I never want to take this procedure EVER again!! I wish my procedure was painless like some explained (I have a high threshold for pain). I am in the process of going to see the fertility doctor so I am hoping he can explain why my side hurts.

[specialmom]

Hi there.  It's been a few days . . . what did you find out?  what did your fertility doc say?

[man_united]

i had the test done about 5 days ago... i found it quite painfull... n i can usually take pain!!! i have had cramps ever since.. n still bleeding.. is that normal??? my stomach is still bloated!!!

iam 27 and have been trying to conceive for over 2 years now!! i have now alittle hope reading all the comments about people getting pregnant after having HSG done!! :)

iam still waiting for m results!! the docs didnt mention anything 2 me about it was jus talking between them selves!!! lol.. hope its good news!