Hystero Salpingo Ultrasonography (HSU)
In order to achieve pregnancy, whether by intercourse or by insemination, there must be passage through at least one of your fallopian tubes. If there is no passage, egg and sperm cannot meet – and fertilization of the egg cannot take place.
If there is reduced passage in the fallopian tube, there will be an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy. We therefore recommend that you check whether there is passage in your fallopian tubes via an ultrasound scan with a passage examination called Hystero Salpingo Ultrasonography (HSU).
HSU is a prerequisite if you want hormone-stimulated insemination. If both your fallopian tubes are closed, the only option to achieve pregnancy is IVF treatment.
Passage in fallopian tubes with HSU
Most women have normal passage through the fallopian tubes, but if you have previously had pelvic inflammatory disease, chlamydia, appendicitis, endometriosis or other diseases where it is suspected that your fallopian tubes have been damaged, there is an increased risk of reduced passage or blocked fallopian tubes . A symptom-free pelvic inflammatory disease (‘silent infection’) with chlamydia can also occur and cause narrowing or blockages in your fallopian tubes.
Here at the clinic, you can have an HSU examination done and get clarity on whether you have normal passage through your fallopian tubes. In hospitals and in X-ray clinics, an examination can be carried out using contrast liquid with simultaneous X-ray taking. The examination is called Hystero Salpingografi (HSG).
This is how the HSU survey takes place
The examination is carried out in the period after the menstrual bleeding has stopped and before the expected time of ovulation; between 7-12. cycle day. We do not inseminate in the same cycle as the HSU. Before the examination can be carried out, there must be a negative chlamydia test, which must be no more than 3 months old.
The HSU itself takes place in a gynecological bed. After washing your cervix (so that bacteria do not enter the uterine cavity), a thin catheter and a scanner are inserted. During the scan, a liquid is injected into the uterus – all the while we follow the passage of the liquid through the fallopian tubes. If the fallopian tubes are closed, the fluid cannot flow freely through.
Some experience period-like pain during the examination. HSU is performed without anesthesia – and the vast majority can go to work immediately after the examination. For some, it may be a good idea to take some painkillers an hour before an HSU. There will be an opportunity for you to rest before returning home.
After the HSU, there may be some extra discharge and perhaps some spotting. We recommend that you use a pad afterwards. There is minimal risk of infection, but should you experience pain and fever in the days following the examination, it is important that you contact a doctor for possible treatment. You can take Panodil as a pain reliever, but it is usually not necessary. If normal passage cannot be demonstrated on both of your fallopian tubes, our doctor will inform you about the next course of action. You may want to be recommended a binocular examination of the fallopian tubes (laparoscopy) – or that you should proceed directly to IVF treatment.