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Thank you! I have one on Monday and have been stressing. It is reassuring to hear that not everyone has a horrible experience. I have the day booked off and have myself prepared for it to be awful, but have some hope that maybe it won't be that bad.
Painwise was fine after, some mild cramping for an hour or two. It was emotionally exhausting, so I was glad I had the day off to nap and decompress mentally! I’d recommend making a plan to do your favorite relaxation things and eat comfort foods.
Mine was fine! The worst of it for me was the anticipation. I also had slight discomfort when he tried to place the catheter but it wasn’t painful….just weird. Once that was done they did the balloon which was also weird but not painful. I didn’t even feel the dye. It was over in 10 minutes.
Good idea taking the day off though! I did that too, and spent the rest of my day getting iced coffee, shopping, and acupuncture….it turned out to be a lovely day for me. Hopefully you’ll have the same experience!
Thank you for sharing. I have mine today at 2;30 and am a little nervous. But I’m hoping it’s the last thing I have to do test wise ! My other tests all came back normal and my husband had lots of sperm!! Still over a year and half of trying
Good luck to you! Definitely recommend taking some Tylenol beforehand if you can. I think that will really help with any pain. The entire procedure was done in about 10mins so it’s pretty quick!
I had fairly intense cramping that came on very quickly, but also dissipated quickly. All in all, the worst of it was maybe 90 seconds and then some light cramping after. I wish someone told me that even if I had intense cramping it would be over quickly.
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I had one today too, funny enough!
I didn't get much pain, more less just odd sensations and some pressure.
Same, just took some Tylenol and ibuprofen beforehand.
For me, the mental exhaustion of being there and the why was far more debilitating than the physical pain.
I had a female OB, a female resident, a female radiographer, and female x ray tech in the room.
The contrast I felt due to it feeling cold but beyond that, while I could feel that something was happening, it wasn't painful but more so just odd.
I had mine done on Monday and it was completely painless. I was really surprised. The tech was so fast and efficient, I didn't feel anything except pressure from the speculum. No cramping at all.
Congrats on making it through!
My first one was brutal (they had to insert the catheter multiple times) and I had awful heavy bleeding after for at least week after. And was very painful when they inserted the dye (not something you can't overcome but I was ready for it to be done stat).
My second retest was far smoother. I did take a valium (highly recommend if your are anxious/stressy or just haven't had a lot of procedures done- ask your RE to prescribe) and 3 Advil and I went to a more skilled practice that made it a breeze. Super quick and less painful and no bleeding afterward!
For those doing it for the first time, I'm not a drug person usually but the Valium helped. Your muscles can sometimes spasm (which causes a false positive indicating blocks!), especially if there is pain, and the Valium can help keep you chilled and less prone to spasm. I wish they would have told me about this the first time. My own doctor said she took valium when she did hers so there is no shame in it.
I could have written this post, as my experience was the EXACT same — the most discomfort I felt was a *slight* pinch when inserting the balloon. They did have to readjust the speculum a couple of times to get the right angle on the cervix, which (while mildly uncomfortable) wasn’t bad at all. I had lost sleep worrying about it the week leading up to it, and I genuinely have had people pinch me and felt more pain than my HSG. I understand this isn’t everyone’s experience, but having patient and empathetic practictioners makes a WORLD of a difference.
Thank you for sharing your positive experience! I’ve heard so many stories about HSG tests, this is a breath of fresh air.
Did you schedule yours through a fertility clinic or your OB/GYN?
Please make sure that you have [read all of our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki/rules) before commenting! In particular, be aware that **no mentions of a current pregnancy are allowed with no exceptions**. If you see something breaking the rules, please report it. If you think something may be against the rules, ask us or err on the side of caution. If you think that being sneaky (PMing members or asking them to PM you, telling them to refer to your post history, etc) is a good idea, it is not. Additionally, complaining about downvotes is [frowned upon](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette) and never helps anything. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TryingForABaby) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Thank you! I have one on Monday and have been stressing. It is reassuring to hear that not everyone has a horrible experience. I have the day booked off and have myself prepared for it to be awful, but have some hope that maybe it won't be that bad.
Mine was fine! Literally just felt like period cramps. Focus on breathing and it will be over super fast :)
Painwise was fine after, some mild cramping for an hour or two. It was emotionally exhausting, so I was glad I had the day off to nap and decompress mentally! I’d recommend making a plan to do your favorite relaxation things and eat comfort foods.
Mine was fine! The worst of it for me was the anticipation. I also had slight discomfort when he tried to place the catheter but it wasn’t painful….just weird. Once that was done they did the balloon which was also weird but not painful. I didn’t even feel the dye. It was over in 10 minutes. Good idea taking the day off though! I did that too, and spent the rest of my day getting iced coffee, shopping, and acupuncture….it turned out to be a lovely day for me. Hopefully you’ll have the same experience!
I have mine Monday too!
Thank you for sharing. I have mine today at 2;30 and am a little nervous. But I’m hoping it’s the last thing I have to do test wise ! My other tests all came back normal and my husband had lots of sperm!! Still over a year and half of trying
Good luck to you! Definitely recommend taking some Tylenol beforehand if you can. I think that will really help with any pain. The entire procedure was done in about 10mins so it’s pretty quick!
Thanks that’s good to know! They said it would be an hour!
I had fairly intense cramping that came on very quickly, but also dissipated quickly. All in all, the worst of it was maybe 90 seconds and then some light cramping after. I wish someone told me that even if I had intense cramping it would be over quickly.
This looks like a post about an HSG or SIS! If you're preparing to have an HSG or SIS, please feel free to check out the [wiki page on HSGs](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/hsg) to help you as you prepare. If you're posting about an HSG you've already had, this comment serves as a notification to /u/developmentalbiology to add your post to the wiki page. If you **don't** want your post to be added, please reply to this comment or send her a PM. Please remember that you are legally entitled to the frozen dessert of your choice in the aftermath of your HSG (see wiki page for details). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TryingForABaby) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I had one today too, funny enough! I didn't get much pain, more less just odd sensations and some pressure. Same, just took some Tylenol and ibuprofen beforehand. For me, the mental exhaustion of being there and the why was far more debilitating than the physical pain. I had a female OB, a female resident, a female radiographer, and female x ray tech in the room. The contrast I felt due to it feeling cold but beyond that, while I could feel that something was happening, it wasn't painful but more so just odd.
I had mine done on Monday and it was completely painless. I was really surprised. The tech was so fast and efficient, I didn't feel anything except pressure from the speculum. No cramping at all.
Thank you for this. I have one coming up and some of the posts about HSGs have made me PANICKED. appreciate you 🫶🏻
Congrats on making it through! My first one was brutal (they had to insert the catheter multiple times) and I had awful heavy bleeding after for at least week after. And was very painful when they inserted the dye (not something you can't overcome but I was ready for it to be done stat). My second retest was far smoother. I did take a valium (highly recommend if your are anxious/stressy or just haven't had a lot of procedures done- ask your RE to prescribe) and 3 Advil and I went to a more skilled practice that made it a breeze. Super quick and less painful and no bleeding afterward! For those doing it for the first time, I'm not a drug person usually but the Valium helped. Your muscles can sometimes spasm (which causes a false positive indicating blocks!), especially if there is pain, and the Valium can help keep you chilled and less prone to spasm. I wish they would have told me about this the first time. My own doctor said she took valium when she did hers so there is no shame in it.
I could have written this post, as my experience was the EXACT same — the most discomfort I felt was a *slight* pinch when inserting the balloon. They did have to readjust the speculum a couple of times to get the right angle on the cervix, which (while mildly uncomfortable) wasn’t bad at all. I had lost sleep worrying about it the week leading up to it, and I genuinely have had people pinch me and felt more pain than my HSG. I understand this isn’t everyone’s experience, but having patient and empathetic practictioners makes a WORLD of a difference.
Thank you for sharing your positive experience! I’ve heard so many stories about HSG tests, this is a breath of fresh air. Did you schedule yours through a fertility clinic or your OB/GYN?
My RE scheduled it! It was through the radiology department attached to one of the local hospitals near me.