Has anyone had an HSS prior to IVF? My RE's office just called to say that they need to schedule me for for an HSS on this upcoming Friday since I'm doing a fresh embryo transfer. They said its purpose is to check for uterine defects (or something like that.) I need to be on antibiotics. Was the HSS covered by your insurance? Was it similar to an HSG?
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What does HSS stand for? I had a SHG (Saline histo sonogram) or I think it's also know as SIS (Saline infused sonogram). It was done before starting IVF but I had a mock transfer before my real transfer.
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I googled, and I think it's similar to SHG?
Unlike the HSG, they use saline instead of dye. Some say one is more painful than the other, but it seems to vary from person to person.
I was not a happy camper during the SHG. It hurt like a mother. But I also got pregnant that cycle so I wonder if something was cleared out of me and that's why it hurt.
I had to stand for way too long afterward to make my follow up appointment, and I think that was a huge mistake. The cramping got terrible and I cried the entire way home. It was fine once the saline was out of my body, but the pressure before then was way worse than cramps.
Insurance wise, they coded it so that the ultrasound part of it was covered by insurance so I only had to pay about $90 out of pocket for the saline part of it. I asked up front how much it would be because I expected to pay for all of it, and it was between 3-400. So $90 was a nice surprise!
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I think I had that, can't remember the exact name but it was a saline infusion into my uterus to check for defects and they did a mock transfer at that time. It didn't feel too good, lots of cramping when they inserted the catherter into the cervix but it was relatively quick. I never had an hsg so I can't really say how it compared. Mine was not covered by insurance, although it could have been if I went to another place but it would have delayed my IVF cycle another month which I didn't want. I think it was somewhere between $600-800?
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@bluestriped bee: Thanks for your response. Gees, I actually don't have any more info about it. I thought I asked the nurse a lot of questions, but I still feel I don't know anything. I don't know what HSS stands for. I asked if it was like a trial transfer, and she said yes. A mock transfer was explained to me as something that would be done before a frozen embryo transfer, but I'm praying to be able to do a fresh transfer.
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@MaryM: Thank you for your response! Oh wow. I wasn't expecting it to be so painful. I was hoping to come back to work after but at least now I will anticipate the possibility of not being able to. And thanks for letting me know about the cost. The nurse I talked to didn't know the cost and she offered to have someone call me back with the info, but I declined so as to not be a needy patient. $90 is way better than $300, but even $300 wouldn't be horrible. Anything more will make me cry. Oh, IF. Always finding a way to cramp my style.
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@Mrs.Pinecone316: Thanks for your response. Ouch. $600-$800 was the most painful thing I read in your response. I have HMO insurance coverage and switched medical groups entirely just so that I could be at an RE that would have some, even if only a few, services covered by my insurance. I'm hoping hoping hoping this one is covered.
ETA: I also wouldn't have wanted to delay the cycle another month over a few hundred dollars. I would have paid it just like you.
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I think it really depends on the patient as to how much it hurts.
During the procedure I was gripping the table and it really stung, but nothing was as bad as the cramping after. And I didn't take advil until RIGHT before, so if I'd taken it a little earlier maybe it would have been better? And I don't think standing for 15-20 minutes was very good.
I'd suggest having someone drive you just in case, and maybe schedule it so you can take a long lunch before going back to work? An hour or so later I was fine.
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@MaryM: Oh no!
Gripping the table! You poor thing. Gees. They've asked my husband to come. I normally wouldn't bring him at all unless required. That's totally something I would rather grimace through myself. I was planning to drive separately from him though. Thanks for giving me something to think about in that regard. I'm so glad you survived it! Yikes!
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I have had a saline sonogram a couple of times. It was no big deal for me pain wise. I did cramp a little after but it was dull period like cramps, nothing extreme. I can't remember if I took a Tylenol beforehand or not. The weirdest part to me is when you stand up right after the liquid comes pouring back out. Make sure to take a pad with you because you'll leak a little.
As far as price insurance didn't cover it. I paid $200.
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@agold: If your husband does go, pay attention to where they have the chair placed for him. DH was a little traumatized because the chair was too far "south". lol
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@MaryM: Ha! Thanks for the small little laugh. I needed it. I will be sure to watch out for that. I really don't like my husband to see me in these kind of situations.
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@Mrs. Pickle: $200 isn't the worst possibility. And thanks for the heads up about the leaking liquids. That sucks. I get grossed out easily. I'll likely gag at my own self.
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DH has been to MANY appointments with me, but this was the first one where he actually saw how a speculum worked. lol
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Since I have had a shellfish allergic reaction, all of my HSG and SHGs are now done without the iodine. (I can still eat shellfish as long as it's cooked all the way through, so topical iodine is probably fine. Anything internally, probably not.) My first HSG was fine pain wise but I was bed ridden the whole weekend. I think my body just did not like the dye (with iodine) internally. After figuring that out my Future procedures were fine. Oh, I did not have any history of blocked tubes seen in my tests. I think I heard it can be painful if one of your tubes are blocked.
Oh, all of my procedures in the IVF phase was all out of pocket. My IUIs were mostly out of pocket. Some of the diagnostic tests were covered under my insurance.
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@agold: Assuming its the Saline histo sonogram (SHS) I had one - my RE called this a "mock transfer" He said they didn't want any surprises on the transfer day. Well, apparently they couldn't get to my cervix, it was titled back - It didn't hurt but was crampy while they tried. They did eventually find it
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@Mamaof2: Wow! Good thing they found it!
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@agold: oh, out of pocket my SHG was $500.
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@bluestriped bee: Thanks for that info. I will find out soon enough at my appointment tomorrow. I wasn't too concerned about a few hundred for this procedure until I got my meds quote! Yikes!
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@agold: yeah, I definitely got sticker shock after ordering my meds. They say $3-5k is average. My first pharmacy quoted me at over $5k and I was floored! So glad I called around and got closer to the $3k range. I had my ER and then FET a few months apart and I was so worried about the med cost for my FET, luckily, it was only a few hundred $$. I was bracing myself for a few thousand.
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@bluestriped bee: My RE nurse mentioned an overseas pharmacy that uses European meds that are administered differently than US meds but otherwise totally fine. And its cheaper. What are your thoughts?
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@agold: oh, I didn't look into overseas pharmacies. Yeah, I would call and see what kind of prices they got. Though, ship time might longer since they are out of the country but I would consider it.
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@bluestriped bee: I was leaning towards not considering it. I'm going to submit stuff to WinFertility and see how they compare.
Gripping the table! You poor thing. Gees. They've asked my husband to come. I normally wouldn't bring him at all unless required. That's totally something I would rather grimace through myself. I was planning to drive separately from him though. Thanks for giving me something to think about in that regard. I'm so glad you survived it! Yikes!
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