When embarking on your fertility treatment process, you will first have to undergo diagnostic tests before a specialist can create your clinical plan. To diagnose infertility, you have to undergo three tests, a semen analysis for men, a day three hormone bloodwork, and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) for women. All tests analyze different factors that play a crucial role in conception. When you go for HSG in Celebration, it helps establish the condition of the uterus and fallopian tubes. A day three hormone bloodwork helps analyze the egg quantity and maturation of the follicles. Semen analysis, on the other hand, focuses on determining the quality and quantity of sperm based on parameters such as size and shape, motility, and sperm count.
Before starting the diagnostic testing, you will have your blood drawn, so you already know what to look forward to in relation to hormone evaluation. However, you may not have experienced HSG before. Due to fear of the unknown, you may be apprehensive and nervous regarding this test. However, knowing more about them can offer comfort and reassurance.
Why Do I Need A Hysterosalpingogram (Hsg)?
After ovulation, the egg moves to the fallopian tubes, where it meets the sperm for fertilization. After fertilization, the embryo will develop and keep moving through the fallopian tube until it reaches the uterus, which implants onto the uterine lining. The HSG test mainly aims at determining whether your fallopian tubes are open and the shape of the uterus if you have trouble conceiving. It also checks if the cavity has suffered damage due to fibroids, scar tissue, or polyps.
The Procedure
Before starting your HSG test, a doctor will take a urine sample to ensure that you are not unknowingly pregnant before the procedure. If you have conceived, the contrast used to fill the uterus can displace or cause harm to the growing fetus increasing the risk of miscarriage.
When starting the procedure, a doctor will insert a speculum into your vagina to view the cervix. It is similar to a pap smear. They will clean the cervix using an antiseptic solution then insert a plastic catheter the size of the tip of a pen. After this, the doctor will pass about two to three teaspoons of contrast through the catheter to fill the fallopian tubes and uterus.
While lying on the diagnosis table, the doctor will use fluoroscopy to get a live x-ray of the contrast as it fills the uterus and flows into the fallopian tubes. If the difference moves entirely through the length of the tubes and spills on the other side, you have open fallopian tubes that can pick up an egg after ovulation. You will receive preliminary results of the test immediately after the HSG test. The doctor will also send images obtained during the procedure to the ordering physician, recommending the course of action.
To summarize, an HSG test looks to establish the condition of the uterus and fallopian tubes during infertility testing. It checks the openness of the fallopian tubes to determine if they can pass an egg after ovulation and the shape of the uterus. You receive test results immediately after the procedure.
