HSG Procedure – Safety questions?


My wife is getting an HSG (hysterosalpingography) procedure tomorrow and I wasn’t there for the initial consult. Are there any concerns about the nuclear dye or x-rays, especially because we are hoping for a healthy egg… Just worried about zapping the ovaries just prior to ovulation. Any help on direction or questions we should ask prior to the procedure would be great…

  1. irene_nicks
    December 7th, 2011 at 22:56 | #1
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    I am having mine next Monday. I had the exact same question, as the hospital wanted me scheduled on the 10 day of my cycle, which is only 2 days before I ovulate. This was a concern for me, but they assured me it was okay as the egg is not released yet. My concern was actually more about ti die they use, but they said nothing to worry about.

  2. rache3
    December 7th, 2011 at 23:26 | #2
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    There is chance of infection, but the dr. should give her something to prevent that. Many women get pregnant the same month they have the HSG because that is when her tubes will be the clearest; right after this procedure (if there were any blockages). I’d try to have done as soon as she can before she should ovulate just to be on the safe side. Make sure she takes advil or something before it because she may have some light cramping.

  3. Nikki
    December 7th, 2011 at 23:49 | #3
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    Everything should be fine as long as the egg hasn’t been released.

  4. tired_tryer
    December 7th, 2011 at 23:57 | #4
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    The eggs will be fine. Have your wife take 4 ibuprofen (800 mg) an hour before, and her doc should have given her antibiotics for the day before, of, and after. I had this done two weeks ago and it was uncomfortable but not painful, and it was over quickly. If she has a blockage it might hurt more than it did me, but then you’ll have more information going forward. Afterward I wanted to walk, and my DH bought me a big berry Jamba Juice. She will be fine!

  5. Lissacal
    December 8th, 2011 at 00:51 | #5
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    First off, the contrast (dye) used in a HSG is not radioactive. It just allows us to see the size and shape of soft tissues. We use the same contrast to see your ureters, which attach your kidneys to your bladder or blood vessels in angiography. Without a contrast media, the uterine tubes (Fallopian Tubes) cannot be visualized on x-ray. Since we are not introducing contrast into your blood system, the risk of a reaction to the contrast is nothing. In 15 years, I have never seen a single adverse reaction to the contrast….not even a minor one! Definately talk to the radiologist or radiological technologist about this contrast, prior to your wife’s HSG.

    The following site has questions answered by qualified personnel who are experts in radiation and it’s effects. Here is a similar situation:

    “QUESTION: I am 43, trying to conceive, and considering having a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). Are my ova at a greater risk of harm from HSG x-ray exposure due to my age?
    ANSWER: I know of no data linking radiation risk to ova/ovaries to age. Any radiation effect on preconception ova would be in the class of genetic effect, i.e., effect expressed in future generations from offspring of the exposed individuals. Available data, mostly from rodents, indicate that female mammals are much less sensitive than males to genetic effects of radiation. It is not totally clear whether this information applies to humans. Therefore, if your physician feels that a hysterosalpingogram might be helpful in assisting your conception, you should not be concerned about a radiation effect. The World Health Organization now estimates that slightly more than 10% of babies born worldwide carry some genetic defect, ranging from trivial (like an inconspicuous birthmark) to serious. Any increase from your radiation would be at worst about 0.000001%—impossible to detect.

    S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD ”

    http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q2201.html

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