In your journey of undergoing infertility treatment HSG test stands as one of the most important stages, not only to determine the cause of infertility but also to increase the chances of pregnancy.
You will find women claiming such on online pregnancy forums that they conceived after a few months of undergoing HSG. Your IVF doctors in Hyderabad or another city where you are getting infertility treatment might also tell you about these chances of increased pregnancy rate after the HSG procedure.
How does the HSG test help increase the chances of pregnancy? To know your answer, you should first know about what is an HSG test and how it is performed. Let’s dive into it.
What is the HSG test?
Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is a type of x-ray test performed to determine any abnormalities in a woman’s uterus and fallopian tubes that may prevent couples from getting pregnant.
How is HSG performed?
During the process, an iodine dye, either water-based or oil-based, is placed into a woman’s cervix. This dye is then passed through the uterus, outlining the shape of the uterus on the x-ray images.
The dye is further passed through the fallopian tubes to determine any blockages in both left and right tubes on the x-ray images.
Now let’s see how HSG works as a treatment and may increase your chances of getting pregnant.
How does HSG benefits in increasing the chances of pregnancy?
The answer to this question lies within the HSG test procedure itself. Experts suggest some theories as to how HSG can help increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Works as a tubal flush
In case of mild blockage, the dye passed through the fallopian tubes can act as a “tubal flush,” clearing the blockages. In some cases, during the test, the dye breaks through very thin adhesions clearing these minor blockages.
As a result, you may receive good news a few months after the HSG. This, however, does not clear any major fallopian blockages.
Oil-based dye increases the pregnancy rate
It depends on the technicians what kind of dye they choose – water-based or oil-based. While what type of dye is used does not make any difference in the test results, it seems to matter as the effect post-test.
Researchers over the years have found that both water-based and oil-based dye increases the chances of pregnancy for the next three months of the test. However, oil-based dye is seemed to increase more chances of pregnancy despite the varied conditions in couples.
Enhanced endometrium
Expert doctors have suggested another possibility of why you may have increased chances of getting pregnant after the HSG procedure.
Whether used for the test or a therapeutic purpose, the contrast dye in some way enhances the lining of the uterus or endometrium. This makes embryo implantation easier.
What should you expect from the HSG test?
Doctors recommend the HSG test purely to determine the cause of infertility. Increased chances of pregnancy or getting good news after the test is purely a bonus.
So, if your doctor asks you for an HSG test procedure, do your research about the process as well as the cost of the HSG test in India.
Also, Read – What is HSG Test and How is it Done?