Hysterosalpingogram

HSG (Hysterosalpingography), Uterosalpingography

How To Prepare

Before a hysterosalpingogram, tell your doctor if you:

• Are or might be pregnant.
• Currently have a pelvic infection (pelvic inflammatory disease) or sexually transmitted infection (such as gonorrhea or chlamydia).
• Are allergic to the iodine dye used or any other substance that has iodine. Also tell your doctor if you have asthma, are allergic to any medicines, or have had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) from any substance (such as the venom from a bee sting or from eating shellfish).
• Have any bleeding problems or are taking any blood-thinning medicines, such as ASA (Aspirin) or warfarin (Coumadin).
• Have a history of kidney problems or diabetes, especially if you take metformin (Glucophage) to control your diabetes. The dye used during a hysterosalpingogram can cause kidney damage in people with poor kidney function. If you have a history of kidney problems, blood tests (creatinine, blood urea nitrogen) may be done before the hysterosalpingogram to check that your kidneys are working well.

This test should be done 2 to 5 days after your menstrual period has ended to be sure you are not pregnant. It should also be done before you ovulate the next month (unless you are using contraception) to avoid using X-rays during an early pregnancy. You may want to bring along a sanitary napkin to wear after the test because some leakage of the X-ray dye may occur along with slight bleeding.

You may need to sign a consent form that says you understand the risks of a hysterosalpingogram and agree to have the test done. Talk to your health professional about any concerns you have about the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).

Go to previous section	Go to top of page	Go to next section
Author:	Carrie Henley Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: September 26, 2006
Medical Review:	Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
© 1995-2008 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.