HyCoSy - anyone had one?

[Beena]

Hi girls

We went for our initial consultation with consultant yesterday - it was good in that he was very nice and calming and told me not to worry as day 3 and 21s were good so I am ovulating which is the main thing. DH is waiting for results of 2nd sperm test as first test results showed low motility. As we have been ttc 13 months now consultant said next stage is a hycosy on me to check my tubes are ok. We can get this on nhs but 5 month waiting list in this area so have decided to pay for it in installments and have it privately - costing £300 but can;t bear to go on waiting and not knowing for another 5 months.

I asked him about my short luteal phase and spotting from about 8-10 days aftre OV and he said that was nothing to worry about at this stage and he said I should still be able to get pg as when I do get phg I won;t start spotting then as progesterone will stay high. He sounded so confident that has made me relax about this and not worry about my luteal phase so much which i guess is a good thing, whether he is right or wrong.

Anyone had a hycosy and can tell me about their experience? Having it on day 14 which should be around time of Ov. Is there any point ttc this month or will hycosy ruin any chances of conceiving this month does anyone know?

Beena

Hi Beena

I had one last month. I had been badgering the hospital to tell me whether to TTC or not that month: My appointment was for just after ov. They never gave me an answer. But, once I was in the room with the chief scanning lady I wouldn't give up! She said that you should NOT TTC the month of a hycosy. They don't have any definate reason to suspect it would do anything bad to you, although I suggested increased risk of ectopic and she avoided the question a bit. (I would hate to have a patient like me...) Part of her reason seemed to be about if something DID go wrong (conception-wise) immediately following a hycosy it might be felt that the hycosy was to blame. In short she was certain that you shouldn't try that month, but the reasons were rather vague and seemed to orient around liability.

So give yourself a month off. I know that's easier said than done, but try to enjoy it!

The procedure wasn't too bad. I mean, it's never going to be fun lying on a raised bed with your feet in stirrups and a lamp shining up your nether regions, then have two people staring up you, fiddling around with speculums and tubes. And my cervix objects quite a lot to having things poked up it. So you know what's going to happen, yes? I had a HSG a few years ago, and my smears never work so I have to go for colposcopies, and I had a few cycles of IUI, so I'm kind of used to the whole thing. If you can dissociate, excellent. Try to relax - it's hard, but it will really help. The ladies I had were very happy to give me a moment to take a few deep breaths. It's not very nice but it's over pretty quick and it's not horrendous.

What's really interesting is to find out what's going on inside you. I only ever have ov pain on the left, and my left tube took a while for the solution to leak out of, which suggests it might have been a bit bunged up. So I'm slightly hopeful (after years of FTC) that perhaps that was the problem... OK, I'm trying not to expect miracles.

A couple of practical warnings. Wear big pants, because you'll need a big pad. I wore a thong, stupidly. Idiot! The stuff leaks out. And this leaking thing, when you get up off the bed, do NOT stand there chatting to the nice ladies: this can result in sudden gush of pink solution. Yuck. Just to cap off all the indignity of it!

I hope your results are ok, and good luck TTC! Anything else you want to know?

hi, i had one several yrs ago as part of work up for ivf, i had a general aneasthetic so wasn't too bad, lotts of pinkish bloody d/c afterwards, definightly needed pads, we were told not to ttc that month as had it done just after ovulation ( actually stopped my clomid that month ) it is because any egg that is floating around is going to get washed out or swamped with dye , plus all the poking around can reduces your cahnces of impantation if egg is fertilised, plus if it is already fertilised at time of procedure and gets washed/pushed back up fallopian tubes can increase chance of ectopic, hope that helps. good luck, ( BTW i went on to have successful pregnancy with first round of ivf and a second pregnancy 5 yrs later using clomid only)

(congrats mummydoc)

Thanks so muchy girls. You have made me feel much more condifent about the whole thing. It doesn't sound so bad after all and think it will be good to give the old tubes a bit of a jet wash! Will hopefully have a BFP to report soon fingers crossed.

Congrats to you mummydoc and good luck to you impatience.

Am quite looking forward to seing what's going on inside of me.

Thanks for the advice re big pants too!

You're very welcome!

Am now back from my hycosy tube test thing and the good news is my tubes are clear as a bell and he gave them a good flushing out and said I will be extra fertile for the next couple of months so fingers crossed. It hurt quite a bit and lots of cramping but don;t feel so bad now as got some strong paracetamol tablets. Nothing worse than a very crampy period really.

Consultant suspects I have mild PCOS though so having repeated day 2 and 21 bloods done to see. He also doesn?t think I am going to OV this month either and if not then he might put me on clomid to get my OV every month. He said that if I am not OV every month then he would suggest we go to IUI sooner rather than later. Hubby and I have discussed it and if I am OV ok every month then we'll keep going naturally until March and if no luck by then we'll go for IUI.

Got hubbys sperm test results when we were there and they are normal and the consultant said he has a very high sperm count and they are very mobile and strong which is amazing news. Hubby now keeps going round shouting "yes, I've got super sperm" to himself now!!! Hysterical!!

So we both appear to be ok with no obvious reason why we are not getting pg apart from me maybe having mild PCOS but that shouldn?t cause too much of a problem.

Fingers crossed something good happens soon but doesn't look like it's going to be this month as I am not OV at the moment and should be as am on day 14 and definitely haven?t already OV this month yet.

Fingers crossed Beena!

Hi Beena

Am glad to see that your hycosy showed patent
tubes.

I sincerely hope you don't have PCOS as this condition can certainly be problematic with regards to conceiving. There is also no one therapy or treatment which will completely eradicate it.

What were your previous day 3 and 21 test results like?. With regards to the day 3 was your LH and FSH result compared?. If they were not I would ask why as an LH/FSH imbalance is one possible indicator of PCOS.

PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. If you are eventually diagnosed with PCOS you need to ensure you are monitored whilst on clomid as it can affect hormone levels markedly. If you are not monitored you will have no way of knowing whether its working properly or not. It is certainly not always suitable for all PCOS patients.

If PCOS is diagnosed I would ask them at some length about the feasibility of doing IUI over some other treatment like injectible drugs for instance.

Verity is a good website to look at - www.verity-pcos.org.uk.

Hi Atilla

Thanks for that info. I really know nothing about PCOS so that is all very helpful, if a little scary sounding. Is it possible to get pg if you have it even if it is very mild? My Day 3 bloods don't show that I have it but the consultant could see a few little cysts in my ovaries which he thinks may be it. He didn't seem overly worried about it though as my bloods didn't show it and
I don't have any of the other symptoms like excess body hair, weight or bad skin.

Am now feeling quite worried about this......

I was told that many women have some cysts, so although this could be viewed as very minor PCOS (and you say you don't have any other symptoms) it's usually nothing to worry about. I have a couple of friends who conceived very quickly with PCOS, without any treatment. As Attila says it varies from woman to woman, so don't assume you have a bad case - don't get worried yet.

Thanks Impatience. I wasn't too worried yesterday as my clearblue fertility monitor says I have been ovulating so thought I was all ok and consultant said if I do have pcos it's only very mild but now my mind is going in to overdrive again. Think I am just feeling very emotional this month as it's month 14 ttc for us and the test was quite horrid and just emotional. Am actually crying now as got myself in to such a state. Going to get a cup of tea and try and calm down. Am feeling even worse than usual as my friend who has been ttc at the same time as us just found out she is pg yesterday. I am so happy for her but just think it is never going to happen for us and just want it to be us with our BFP.

Hi Beena

((((((beena))))))). Hope the cup of tea has helped you a little.

It may actually be polycystic ovaries you have rather than the syndrome itself. This is where the patient presents solely with the cystic follicles; the commonality between PCO and PCOS is the cystic follicles.

I have PCOS myself and I am a parent. It is not an absolute barrier to conception by any means and I know of many women who have conceived with this condition.

As mentioned before PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. Not all women with PCOS present with adult onset acne, hirsuitism and weight gain.

One thing I would say is that being the correct weight for your height is very important. Excess pounds can exacerbate symptoms and can also be hard to shift.

If PCO/PCOS is confirmed I would stop using the fertility monitor. It is of no use if you have PCO/S as the monitor can give false readings. In any event I would stop using it, these things can just add to the stress.

Any other questions just ask

Thanks Atilla. How will they confirm it do you know? They have said they want to re-do the day 21 test when I next OV to check if I am actually ovulating but how else can they tell if I have it or not? When I had my day 3 tests, my FSH was 7.8 and my LH was 4.4. Does that show it?

Thakns so much for all your help. It is so great to be abel to talk to someone about it. I have no one else I can ask about it.

Hi Beena,

In my case they discovered PCOS through both my bloodwork (which showed a classic LH/FSH imbalance) and internal ultrasounds which clearly showed the cystic follicles associated with PCOS. Another big clue for them was my highly irregular cycle; again commonly seen in women with PCOS.

From your one LH/FSH result you've posted you haven't got higher LH levels to that of FSH so that is good in itself. I would think you will have more blood tests and ultrasounds; if you are put on clomid this should be done as a matter of course.

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Attila

hi
i have bleeding for 14 months since last misscarriage had loads of internals leaking out lots of colour liquids never seems to stop hd bad year last year not much better this year had procedure in june they had a good look around fibroid at neck of my womb having hycosy on wed not looking forward to it but read some of the reveiws and feeling a little better will take big pants and pad
thanks care bear x

hi
i have bleeding for 14 months since last misscarriage had loads of internals leaking out lots of colour liquids never seems to stop hd bad year last year not much better this year had procedure in june they had a good look around fibroid at neck of my womb having hycosy on wed not looking forward to it but read some of the reveiws and feeling a little better will take big pants and pad
thanks care bear x

sorry about my sad repeated message
first time user.
carebear4061

Just had hycosy yesterday all good nothing to worry about tubes was not blocked thank god just got pcos which I already new anyway. now got to wait till 16th for clomid any you ladies got pregnant after hycosy heard your very fertile after this????so yes av done the deed both nights even layed on my back with legs in the air and will continue this until I get clomid anything can help very frustrating

Hey girlies,
I'm 21 and have had problems with my period since I was 16, it's been so Iregular! I'm going for my hycosy today! I have been on clomid and letrazole and no luck, I've been told I might had PCOS but it's all just so confusing, I've been with my partner a while no with NO contraception and no luck:( just feel like I'm on my own and I will never have children
xxx