HSG test

hi, i am 32 years old and am trying to conceive for 3 and a half years now, my doc suggested to do HSG test just after i finish my period,  i am  having my period now and i have to call to let him know so he could schedule me for HSG, but am so scared to go through this since i heard its very painful. i asked my doc to do it under general anastezia but he said no need to do that  i am very sensitive and pain kills me i can not bear it, before i had vaginal infection ureaplasma and mycoplasma and i don't know if i still have it. so i want to ask is it ok not to check for infections first and then to do hsg test (because my doc said its ok we can do the check for bacteria later after hsg) or to get checked if am clear from infections and do hsg or its okey just to do it and other question is what pill i can take in order not to feel the pain of hsg before i do it. please help am so concerned.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
First of all, the HSG is not nearly as painful now as it used to be.  The wonderful new catheters that are used are often painless! the dye may cause some cramping -- it usually seems that the cramping is worse if the tubes are open, so that is a good sign.  I often pre-medicate my patients with Ibuprofen or Anaprox (Aleve), so you could ask your doctor about that.  If you were my patient, I would be tempted to offer you something for anxiety too, such as Valium and would reccomend taking it 30  min to 1 hour before the procedure.
As far as infection goes, I would probably treat you with antibiotics (doxycycline) for 2 days before, the day of, and for 2 days after the procedure and that should be safe.

The HSG is really the best test for determining whether your tubes are open -- and if they're not, you will likely need to proceed with IVF, so it makes a BIG difference in management!


Hope this helps!
Dr B