I was reading Mrs. Jump Rope's post today and thought about how I'm supposed to have an HSG at the end of the month. Before the RE made the comment to "ignore the comments about it hurting" I hadn't thought about it hurting - but now of course I'm thinking about it! Years ago I tried to have an IUD inserted and the dr gave up because I was about to pass out and throw up from the pain. Is an HSG that bad?
-
It wasn't that bad for me. No worse than a quick, short menstrual cramp when she inserted the dye. It was like, "ah...ah...oh it's done". And then you leak dye out everywhere, so bring your own pad unless you want the giant hospital one.
-
I'm sorry to share my experience because it's probably not going to alleviate any of your fears but mine was so painful that I passed out from it during the procedure. It was probably the pressure that did it, more than anything else, but yeah, for me it was crazy painful and pressure-filled...But that is definitely an extreme and for some women it hurts and others it's hardly anything so try not to stress about it...
-
For mine - they had to grab my cervix, and that hurt, and i had some cramping when they put the dye in, but it wasn't all that bad. One of my best friends said she almost passed out from the pain though.
I second the recommendation to bring your own pad!
-
@blackbird: @dagret: I'm about to ask the dumbest question ever. When you say pad, would a liner be sufficient, or do you mean like all out granny pad?
@Trailmix: Was it significantly different from a pap? Because I find paps to be nothing but for some reason that IUD procedure was off the charts and there are times when I can't have pressure on/around my cervix.
-
I had some discomfort but nothing terrible. It felt like a really bad menstrual cramp. And I would recommend more than just a panty liner
-
It was uncomfortable, but not really painful. It was sort of the same feeling as a pap smear, but it went on for much longer. I think it's different for everyone, though.
-
You'll want more coverage than a liner-I used a thin pad in the "light" category. It's just kind of messy for a few hours!
-
Sorry bad experience here, too.
It was pretty painful for about 10 seconds during the procedure. I just had to bit the bullet and get through it. I think I have a pretty big threshold for pain, though.
Afterwards was fine.
Then I started having some abdominal pain that afternoon that I thought would go away. It actually hurt to lay down and walk around. Sitting still wasn't that bad. I still had the pain the next day so the docs wanted me to come in and get some tests done (blood test, ultrasound... the whole works.) They put me on a course of antibiotics, just to be sure. (Oh, nothing came up on the tests and my tubes were clear.)
I had the procedure on a Thursday, saw the doc on Friday and I was sore all weekend (like in bed most of the weekend). Monday I was fine.
If I had to do a HSG again I would not look forward to the post procedure pain.
-
Oh, wear dark underwear, too!
I wore white undies! I was wondering what was I thinking putting those on!?!?As for the pad, I was given hospital pads. I think they were maternity pads that were super super long. It worked great.
-
Just thought I'd jump in - I haven't had one, but my sister did a couple months ago and she is a wuss with a really low pain tolerance and she was freaked! She said it wasn't as bad as she thought!!
update: my sister's tubes were not blocked at all, so this could have definitely attributed to it being less painful than women with blocked tubes.
-
It was very uncomfortable for me. I definitely felt my uterus tightening up and cramping. At the same time, it was cool to see my insides since I've never seen what they look like so that helped me focus away from the pain. Afterwards there was definitely discharge (bring a pad) and cramping so I went home and laid on the couch for a while. All in all it wasn't as terrible as a lot of other women's experiences but it wasn't my most favorite hour. I think it depends on your tolerance level of pain and if your tubes are blocked (but don't quote me on this one).
-
Oh and I was also told to take ibprofen before the procedure as this can help. Good luck!
-
I've heard of it not hurting more than some mild cramps. However, that was not the case for me. It was incredibly painful, the tech wasn't gentle so the dye went into my tubes (one was blocked) much too quickly and it was excruciating.
Take tylenol and ibuprophen an hour beforehand.
ETA: to give you an idea of my pain threshold, I was in unmedicated labor for 27 hours with ctx closer than 3 mins apart before I was told I had to get an epidural. I think it had to do partially with the blocked tube and partially because I knew labor was going to hurt and had a game-plan how to deal with pain. Thankfully the HSG was over quickly and the pain was gone quickly.
-
Mine did not hurt at all and was very quick but I think I was in the minority. It turns out my tubes weren't blocked at all which I think had something to do with it. I felt a little pressure but it was not uncomfortable or painful.
My endometrial biopsy, however, was super painful. And I wasn't prepared for it at all since I had such an easy HSG procedure. I took two advil 30 mins before just like I did for the HSG, but they didn't do anything. I was in so much pain the nurse let me squeeze her hand while the Dr. was scraping away. She had to do it 3 times before getting any tissue which I'm sure was one of the reasons it hurt so bad.
-
Mine was not painful at all. Just mild pressure. I even went straight from the doctor's office to catch a flight to a work conference and had no discomfort afterwards.
-
As for the ibruprofen, I took a 500 mg (?) ibruprofen an hour before the procedure. Wow, it must have been really painful if I was already on a strong pain killer.
-
@spaniellove: I definitely think all of these procedures can be worse when you imagine what they will be like in your head. It's good to be prepared, but it's different for everyone.
After reading through the remarks from everyone else, I'm realizing that I think the most painful part for me was the dye. The majority of the procedure was just uncomfortable, and similar to a pap smear. But the injection of the dye was when I felt the pain that brought tears to my eyes. I just had to breathe deep and work through the pain, and before I knew it, it was over.
The pad that they provided me was very thick, but I didn't really have all that much discharge afterwards. I thought the pillow pad was nice and comfy though, after having such an unpleasant experience
-
@spaniellove: I'm a dummy and forgot a regular person pad - I used the giant hospital pad for the 2 block walk from the hospital to work, so it did the heavy-duty job. After that I just used a liner and it was fine.
-
I had an HSG last week. I had read too much online and thought that it would hurt. I took 2 asprin before I went it. It did not hurt at all. I felt some pressure as the dye went in, but that was it. I wouldn't even say that it was like menstral cramps. It was more awkward than anything else. At first they had me lay down with my knees bent (I didn't have any stir-ups) and then they streched out the table so my legs were straight - that was uncomfortable. I did not have any blockages so it only took a minute or two. I only needed a panty liner afterwards since not a lot leeked out. They did warn me that the dye can stain so wear underwear that you don't care about.
-
I'm an x-ray tech so even though I've never had one personally, I've seen lots and lots of HSGs (although the doctor actually does the procedure, we just setup/assist/hold hands
).
The pain level is definitely different for each person depending on the factors everyone else has mentioned - blocked tubes, previous vaginal deliveries, normal period pain. We tell people that they'll probably feel a pinch & some pressure when the catheter is being inserted through their cervix and approximately like the worst cramp they get during their periods while the dye is being injected. If you don't have any blockages, this should only take 10 seconds or so. If you do have a blockage, sometimes the doctors will try to clear it with the pressure of injecting the dye and this will be considerably more painful (but worth it if it opens the tube!!)
It's not super uncommon for ladies to feel faint or to pass out immediately after the exam is over so make sure they let you stay lying down for at least 5 minutes and then get up slowly and make sure you feel ok. It's usually a vasovagal reaction caused by the adrenaline.
They should let you watch the screen while they inject and the tech can tell you where your uterus and tubes are - it'll keep your mind off the potential pain. Our doctors tell the patients the results right away.
You'll likely spot a little the rest of the day, and have a sticky discharge as the dye drains out.
For 24-48 hours after the test, don't use tampons, or sit in a bath or hot tub (because of the risk of infection). Whether or not you may BD in the 2 days following the test is up to your ordering doc (again, infection - but some believe that the chances of conceiving are greater after "flushing" the tubes).Try not to be nervous!!
So sorry and HUGS to all of you who have had such painful experiences
-
Whoa. Sorry for the novel.
-
Sorry to say but mine was painful. They inserted one dye & then a second contrast from what I understood. With each one, I actually "cried out" a little moan but then it was over pretty quickly. Just breathe through it is my best advice , in addition to taking the Advil in advance.
-
I just wanted to add on to this thread, since I read it and got super nervous before my HSG (which I had today).
Some background: I am extremely nervous in all medical settings, I once fainted from a flu shot, and I've nearly fainted several times from blood draws and getting a mole removed.
I took 800mg of Advil 30 minutes before my HSG, and I'm not sure if it was because of that or because my tubes weren't blocked, or maybe because a nurse practitioner did it instead of a tech, but it was almost painless for me. In fact, she put in the catheter and shot the dye and I didn't feel a thing.
The only pain I felt during the entire thing was when they couldn't get a good enough picture of my uterus or something... she said that the dye kept spilling right back out of my cervix, so she had to use a different catheter with a balloon. When she inflated the balloon I had about 5 seconds of sharp pain but nothing bad. Now two hours later I have some mild dull cramps, but not bad at all. I never felt lightheaded at all (which is rare for me!)
My advice to ladies who have to go through this is to take some ibuprofen beforehand, and try to relax. And remember that even if it's horribly painful, it will be over in less than 5 minutes, and you'll (hopefully) never have to do it again.
-
@Shutterbug: Oh I'm so glad it went okay for you! The ibuprofen is good advice (Tylenol works too). I should have followed up my question with the outcome, which was that it went smoothly despite my bizarre cervix, and I didn't have any cramping until I sat up.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite1
24 comments