When is Sonosalpingography conducted?

Sonosalpingography (SSG) is ideally done between the 6th and 10th day of your 28-day cycle. The doctors prefer to carry the procedure after periods and before the release of a mature egg to reduce the risk of disturbing an early pregnancy.

Reason

Apart from checking the patency of the fallopian tube and infertility diagnosis, SSG tests are usually performed to diagnose other conditions like, Endometrial polyps, Intrauterine lesions, uterine cavity anomalies.

Risks

The average duration for SSG tests is 5 minutes to 10 minutes. These tests are conducted in a sterile environment. SSG tests are usually painful and the patients are given the choice to take anesthesia before starting the procedure. At Aspire, we leave it to the choice of the patient to take anesthesia depending on their capacity to handle the pain. However, in certain cases, oral painkiller medication may be given 1-2 hours before the procedure. Certain women have felt mild cramping and hence are advised for oral painkillers.

Procedure

Post the cleaning, as a first step, the doctor inserts a sterile speculum in the vagina which will enable a full view of the whole cervix and its mouth.
In the following step, an antiseptic solution is used for cleaning the cervix.
The third step involves inserting a thin tube with ultrasound support, and now the speculum is removed.
After the insertion of a thin tube. a sterile saline solution is pushed gradually and gives the view of your uterus and fallopian tube. Free flow of saline from both ends of the tube ascertains patency.
As a final step, the tube is removed and the doctor advises you on precautionary measures.

Safety

Sonosalpingography is an extremely safe procedure and does not involve too many risks. Any tubal infection is rare but most of it occurs if the fallopian tube has been damaged previously. However. other risks such as vasovagal reaction (a rare occurrence), spotting, vaginal bleeding, shoulder pain (a rare occurrence) and occasional pelvic infection have been observed in some cases- In case the symptoms last for a prolonged time, severe pain, fever, or foul-smelling discharge you should consult the doctor before the scheduled visit.

Outcome

As SSG forms a significant part of fertility treatment and is helpful in diagnosing female infertility occurring due to tubal infections, here are some results you can expect from the test.
Bilateral patent tubes One-sided patent or one-sided blocked tube
Bilateral blocked tubes Occurrence Of polyp etc. in the uterus.

Once the results are out. our doctors at Aspire will discuss the further course of action with you and give you the best possible roadmap so that you can conceive.