Saline Infused Sonogram (SIS)

[PepperPottsJ]

Hi Ladies,

I did a TCF search and didn't really have much luck finding anything.  Has anyone had one?  Anything to expect or fear?

Thank you!

[kayladawn91]

I believe it's the same or very similar to an SHG. I had an SHG done a few weeks ago. Basically they insert a catheter, put the saline in, and do an ultrasound. My OB was mostly checking my tubes so she watched for the saline to go through the tubes on the ultrasound (it changes color on the screen) and it also can help them better see the structure of the uterus.

Overall, it wasn't bad. The worst part for me was the catheter because I couldn't relax my pelvic muscles and my OB was a bitch, making me ragey. I had mine done in the afternoon and I had some cramping during the procedure and that evening after. My OB suggested I take whatever pain relief I normally use for cramping before the procedure to help with this so I did. But it didn't seem to help much. I also had a little bit of bleeding afterward along with some leakage from the saline so they gave me a pad while I was there because I didn't know I was supposed to bring one. I only needed to wear it for about an hour and it was fine.

[PepperPottsJ]

Thank you @yaga, my HSG sucked but it wasn't awful, I went right back to work afterwards! I'm not supposed to take any advil, and I took a fistful prior to HSG...

[PepperPottsJ]

Thank you caitost21, and kayladawn91!!

[daisy818]

I think that an SIS and an SHG are basically two names for the same procedure - a date with the dildo cam that is also accompanied by injecting a whole bunch of saline via catheter. As my RE warned, it can get messy - he told me to just keep my shoes on because otherwise my socks might get wet when I stepped down, and I also wore a pad for a couple hours afterward just so I didn't leak saline everywhere. I didn't find it to be any worse than a normal u/s - it's a bit more uncomfortable, but I didn't find it painful. The RE did advise me to take an ibuprofen before the procedure just in case, because it can cause some cramping (on par with menstrual cramps). My RE actually wants me to repeat that next month, and if it's scheduled in the AM I would plan to return to work afterward.

Hope it goes well! I agree with @yaga , I'd do 10 SHGs if it meant avoiding one HSG.

ETA: Tl;dr: I just repeated the same things everyone else said while I was typing

[kayladawn91]

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818?

[PepperPottsJ]

THank you daisy818! I feel like a unicorn with my HSG not being so awful

Agreed SIS and SHG are essentially the same, RE wants to make sure there are no ute issues or abnormalities.

[akraus2015]

+1 to what PP have said. The worst part is the catheter. My RE had trouble inserting mine, which was slightly painful/uncomfortable, but other than that, its really NBD. It's kind of cool to watch the saline flow through on the ultrasound.

[PepperPottsJ]

Sept 28, 2016 11:18:03 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818 ?

I believe a sonohysterogram (SHG) is a saline infused sonogram (SIS)

ETA oops I totally read HSG as SHG

[akraus2015]

Sept 28, 2016 11:18:03 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818 ?

I *think* the SHG determines if your uterus is the right shape and the HSG determines if your tubes are blocked?  I've had both.

[doodler]

I had my SHG and my HSG on the same day and neither caused me to feel anything other than mild discomfort. Good luck!

[kariann12]

I had an SIS. It was not bad at all. The worst pain was less than normal cramps for me.

[laurensc927]

Sept 28, 2016 11:18:03 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818 ?

Don't mind me lurking...

The SHG is similar to an SIS in which they inject saline into your ute and view it on ultrasound. It's so the RE can look at the uterine cavity for any abnormalities ie. polyps, fibroids etc. Feels like minor period cramps during procedure, mostly b/c you're irritating the cervix.

The HSG is when they inject dye into the ute while you are under an xray machine. In this situation they are looking to see the dye "spill" out your tubes which lets them know they are open. Feels like a wave of the worst period cramps you've ever felt, it starts to dissipate as fast as it comes on but some people (raises hand) have cramping the rest of the day.

If you have any issues with things getting "through" your cervix easily either of these procedures will be uncomfortable. They almost cancelled my SIS b/c the RE couldn't get the catheter in.

Like someone else mentioned there is a saline test that uses bubbles so that you can do both in one shot but I don't think a lot of RE's offer that option.

[kayladawn91]

Sept 28, 2016 11:21:15 GMT -5 akraus2015 said:

Sept 28, 2016 11:18:03 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818 ?

I *think* the SHG determines if your uterus is the right shape and the HSG determines if your tubes are blocked?  I've had both.

This is what I thought but my OB said she used the SHG to check my tubes so I was confused. She said she could watch the saline go through my tubes to check for blockage. But we also all know that my OB is a big idiot so...

[akraus2015]

Sept 28, 2016 11:49:06 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

Sept 28, 2016 11:21:15 GMT -5 akraus2015 said:

I *think* the SHG determines if your uterus is the right shape and the HSG determines if your tubes are blocked?  I've had both.

This is what I thought but my OB said she used the SHG to check my tubes so I was confused. She said she could watch the saline go through my tubes to check for blockage. But we also all know that my OB is a big idiot so...

I think its annoying that they couldn't accomplish both things at once.  Like, no, I need to pay $600 and be stuck in the vagina with a catheter twice.

[♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪]

I think this varies so much. I think you already know this, Pepps, but this is the procedure I had done prior to TI. I was completely fine during the procedure, but it was after that I had sharp cramping. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't gone back to work the same day.

I think I might be in the minority on this, though.

[daisy818]

Re: HSGs, I think mine was also especially painful because the RE was using some specific type of contrast that appears to help people with endo, so he wanted to use a lot of it. So the pushing dye part lasted for a longer time than for most people who have open tubes - laurensc927 is totally right, the intense cramping/pain stops almost immediately once they stop pushing the contrast, but I still had cramping all day.

[♪♫choppinbroccoli♫♪]

Sept 28, 2016 11:43:43 GMT -5 laurensc927 said:

Sept 28, 2016 11:18:03 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

What's the difference between a SHG and HSG @yaga and daisy818 ?

Don't mind me lurking...

The SHG is similar to an SIS in which they inject saline into your ute and view it on ultrasound. It's so the RE can look at the uterine cavity for any abnormalities ie. polyps, fibroids etc. Feels like minor period cramps during procedure, mostly b/c you're irritating the cervix.

The HSG is when they inject dye into the ute while you are under an xray machine. In this situation they are looking to see the dye "spill" out your tubes which lets them know they are open. Feels like a wave of the worst period cramps you've ever felt, it starts to dissipate as fast as it comes on but some people (raises hand) have cramping the rest of the day.

If you have any issues with things getting "through" your cervix easily either of these procedures will be uncomfortable. They almost cancelled my SIS b/c the RE couldn't get the catheter in.

Like someone else mentioned there is a saline test that uses bubbles so that you can do both in one shot but I don't think a lot of RE's offer that option.

I believe this is what I had done.

[requiressnacks]

I agree with what everyone said above - my SIS was far less painful with the HSG.

SPOILER: Click to show

One thing to be made aware of, I was having an SIS to look at my ute and make sure there was no leftover tissue from my miscarriage. (I have no clue why you are getting one) In my case, they did find an abnormality and we had to do the SIS a couple of times. Once with the nurse practitioner, once with the RE. They took lots of pictures. It took a long time. I would still choose a SIS over an HSG, but just be prepared for it to go longer than expected.

GOOD LUCK!

[PepperPottsJ]

requiressnacks , I am going in for mostly the same reason. My RE will do the SIS on the first go around. May I ask what they did to treat the abnormality? Feel free to ignore me if you don't want to share or discuss !!

[requiressnacks]

Sept 28, 2016 13:21:32 GMT -5 PepperPottsJ said:

requiressnacks , I am going in for mostly the same reason. My RE will do the SIS on the first go around. May I ask what they did to treat the abnormality? Feel free to ignore me if you don't want to share or discuss !!

Well, it turned out that the abnormality was at the top of my ute, so they didn't think it would impact my ability to get pregnant or carry a baby in the future. (Clearly, they were right)  At the time, I had a choice to do a more invasive procedure to see what it was, or just trust my doctor's advice.

So, if they do find something - don't freak out.  It might be no issue, in the long run.  Of course, you have a beautiful ute and I'm sure it's all clear.

[doodler]

Sept 28, 2016 13:27:09 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

Sept 28, 2016 13:21:32 GMT -5 PepperPottsJ said:

requiressnacks , I am going in for mostly the same reason. My RE will do the SIS on the first go around. May I ask what they did to treat the abnormality? Feel free to ignore me if you don't want to share or discuss !!

Well, it turned out that the abnormality was at the top of my ute, so they didn't think it would impact my ability to get pregnant or carry a baby in the future. (Clearly, they were right)  At the time, I had a choice to do a more invasive procedure to see what it was, or just trust my doctor's advice.

So, if they do find something - don't freak out.  It might be no issue, in the long run.  Of course, you have a beautiful ute and I'm sure it's all clear.

Just chiming in to add that the SHG is when they first noticed my uterine abnormality(unicornuate uterus).  However, they weren't able to confirm until they got a better look during the HSG.

[ohinvrtedworld]

I had a SIS done in my initial RE workup. They used a device called Fem.vue that created bubbles and sent those through my tubes instead of a typical HSG with dye. When they injected the saline, it did feel like a big contraction-like cramp, but it was bearable. Once the saline was in there, it was not very uncomfortable. I wasn't bothered by the catheter either.

Forgot to add that I felt fine the rest of the day. My tubes were clear and there wasn't anything weird to note, though, so if there's anything like that maybe it is less comfortable when it's over.

[JustJudy]

My HSG was the most painful thing I've yet to experience in my life. I almost passed out. My SHG was last week and I barely felt a thing. I did ask for Valium and took 3 Aleve before. But honestly I think because my RE, and not just some random radiologist, was doing it the pain was much more manageable. I'm sure you'll be fine!

[LadyNymeria]

Sept 28, 2016 11:20:20 GMT -5 akraus2015 said:

+1 to what PP have said. The worst part is the catheter. My RE had trouble inserting mine, which was slightly painful/uncomfortable, but other than that, its really NBD. It's kind of cool to watch the saline flow through on the ultrasound.

PepperPottsJ - I had one in December and this was my experience as well. Dr had trouble getting the catheter in, but I'd call it uncomfortable, not painful. The rest was NBD. Definitely recommend a pad or liner for a few hours after.

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2016 20:25:14 GMT -5 LadyNymeria said:

Sept 28, 2016 11:20:20 GMT -5 akraus2015 said:

+1 to what PP have said. The worst part is the catheter. My RE had trouble inserting mine, which was slightly painful/uncomfortable, but other than that, its really NBD. It's kind of cool to watch the saline flow through on the ultrasound.

PepperPottsJ - I had one in December and this was my experience as well. Dr had trouble getting the catheter in, but I'd call it uncomfortable, not painful. The rest was NBD. Definitely recommend a pad or liner for a few hours after.

+2. Pretty much this for me, too. Definitely bring a pad for leakage. And being some Aleve to take after for the cramping if they don't want you taking any before.

[emilie]

I had this done last year to get a better look at polyps. I was lucky and it was not painful, just awkward and uncomfortable. However, I took 3 Advils beforehand. Why won't they let you take Advil? How about Tylenol?

The HSG was a lot scarier for me because of the X-ray machine and the fact that it had to be done in a hospital. The SIS was done in my RE's office. It is a pretty quick procedure. Good luck and I hope all the results are good!

[emilie]

Sept 28, 2016 13:27:09 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

Sept 28, 2016 13:21:32 GMT -5 PepperPottsJ said:

requiressnacks , I am going in for mostly the same reason. My RE will do the SIS on the first go around. May I ask what they did to treat the abnormality? Feel free to ignore me if you don't want to share or discuss !!

Well, it turned out that the abnormality was at the top of my ute, so they didn't think it would impact my ability to get pregnant or carry a baby in the future. (Clearly, they were right)  At the time, I had a choice to do a more invasive procedure to see what it was, or just trust my doctor's advice.

So, if they do find something - don't freak out.  It might be no issue, in the long run.  Of course, you have a beautiful ute and I'm sure it's all clear.

I just want to give another perspective on this. After my SIS I was told I had a polyp but that it was in a position where it wouldn't affect conception. So we did nothing and started IUIs and meds. After 2 failed rounds I switched REs within my practice. After the 3rd failed round we were going to go to IVF but my new RE was like, why don't we check out that polyp again?

So I did more imaging, and then went in for a hysteroscopy where they found not only the original polyp but more polyps and other crap in my uterus that was not seen on the SIS. So then and there during my hysteroscopy they took it all out. And we did one more IUI cycle right after, and I got KU for the first time ever. If I could go back in time, I would have just asked them to do a hysteroscopy after my first SIS, when they originally saw an abnormality. Maybe it would have saved me a lot of stress, money, and tummy injection bruises. Maybe not. Who knows.

But like snacks said, hopefully they find nothing and your ute is in perfect condition. Again, best of luck!

[mikaela20]

Sept 28, 2016 13:43:00 GMT -5 tinkerbell said:

Sept 28, 2016 11:49:06 GMT -5 kayladawn91 said:

This is what I thought but my OB said she used the SHG to check my tubes so I was confused. She said she could watch the saline go through my tubes to check for blockage. But we also all know that my OB is a big idiot so...

**lurking**

The SHG is what I had as well.  I think it may be the standard practice here (CAN) or at least in my province/area to both check tubes and visualize the uterus because both REs and the OB I went to all used a SHG. I took ibuprophen before and had some cramping, and it was slightly painful for a second the first time because the Dr couldn't figure out which way my cervix went and poked me figuring it out, but I was only a little crampy after. 

I'm in Canada and had the same, SHG with contrast they called it, which allows them to also check the tubes.

Mine wasn't great but not terrible. I had some bad period type cramping when the saline was in which lasted for a few hours after. I had my mom drive me which was good planning.

They were looking for a second cervix for me so them digging around in there was the worst part of it.

[PepperPottsJ]

Sept 29, 2016 2:35:30 GMT -5 emilie said:

Sept 28, 2016 13:27:09 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

Well, it turned out that the abnormality was at the top of my ute, so they didn't think it would impact my ability to get pregnant or carry a baby in the future. (Clearly, they were right)  At the time, I had a choice to do a more invasive procedure to see what it was, or just trust my doctor's advice.

So, if they do find something - don't freak out.  It might be no issue, in the long run.  Of course, you have a beautiful ute and I'm sure it's all clear.

I just want to give another perspective on this. After my SIS I was told I had a polyp but that it was in a position where it wouldn't affect conception. So we did nothing and started IUIs and meds. After 2 failed rounds I switched REs within my practice. After the 3rd failed round we were going to go to IVF but my new RE was like, why don't we check out that polyp again?

So I did more imaging, and then went in for a hysteroscopy where they found not only the original polyp but more polyps and other crap in my uterus that was not seen on the SIS. So then and there during my hysteroscopy they took it all out. And we did one more IUI cycle right after, and I got KU for the first time ever. If I could go back in time, I would have just asked them to do a hysteroscopy after my first SIS, when they originally saw an abnormality. Maybe it would have saved me a lot of stress, money, and tummy injection bruises. Maybe not. Who knows.

But like snacks said, hopefully they find nothing and your ute is in perfect condition. Again, best of luck!

Thanks emilie,  my very first RE appt we found a fibroid,  and I had a hysteroscopy to get rid of it.  Next cycle HSG,  which just confirmed open tubes and tilted ute.  I believe this was primarily to make sure there weren't retained PoC.  Luckily I passed with "flying colors".
I am speshul,  and it was way worse for me than the HSG was,  but a little yoga breathing got me through it  Happy Friday everyone!

...and most importantly thank you everyone!!