Hysterosalpingogram Frequently Asked Questions

  At present, tubal infertility accounts for about 25-30% of female infertility factors, and the current examination methods for tubal infertility include tubal imaging, tubal lavage, ultrasound tubal imaging and laparoscopy. Tubal lavage is basically eliminated because there is no image and the diagnosis is made by the subjective feeling of the operating doctor. Laparoscopy is the gold standard for tubal examination and is the most accurate, but it is very traumatic and costly and is not used as a screening tool. Therefore, tubal angiography is still the first-line test for tubal screening.  So, what kind of patients need this test? I have seen many patients in the clinic who have been preparing for pregnancy for just a few months and request an imaging. It is generally recommended that only patients who have had regular sex without contraception and have not been pregnant for 1 year, i.e. those with a diagnosis of infertility, need to be examined.  Currently, there are two types of contrast agents: iodine oil and iodine water. Iodine oil has a clear visualization and a certain tubal flushing effect, and has a certain rate of natural pregnancy after imaging, but there may be allergic reactions and even the risk of anaphylactic shock if it flows back into the blood.  In case of acute medical and surgical diseases, fever or severe vaginal and pelvic infections, it is recommended to do it after control and stabilization. Our hospital uses an automatic contrast machine to push the whole process of dynamic observation, which improves the accuracy of diagnosis. It is recommended to take a diffusion film about 40 minutes after the imaging. If there is no diffusion film, it will add considerable uncertainty to the diagnosis of hydrosalpinx and pelvic adhesions. When choosing a hospital for imaging, it is important to ask if there is a diffusion film, if not, you should choose carefully.  Many patients are afraid of having an imaging, mainly because they are afraid of pain. In fact, if the fallopian tubes are open, the imaging will not be painful, but may be slightly uncomfortable, while if the fallopian tubes are not open, there may be pain, but most of it is tolerable. In addition, there will be some vaginal bleeding after the imaging, which usually clears up within a week. To prevent infection, oral antibiotics can be given.  Many patients are confused by the fact that different doctors may give very different diagnoses from the same film. For example, some doctors feel that there is no problem and they can try to get pregnant, while others feel that pelvic adhesions cannot be excluded and recommend laparoscopy. The accuracy of imaging in diagnosing tubal obstruction and hydrosalpinx can be more than 70-80%, while the accuracy of diagnosing pelvic adhesions is only about 50%, and the diagnosis is very subjective, but if the doctor has experience in tubal surgery, the diagnostic rate may be higher. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the bias in the diagnosis. Therefore, the next time you go to the clinic to see the doctor for an imaging film, in addition to bringing the film, make sure to give a detailed medical history to the doctor.  There is no scientific basis for the statement that contraception must be used for 3 months or even 6 months after imaging. We have seen many patients who got pregnant in the second month after the imaging and had healthy babies, so it is recommended to try to conceive in the next month.