HyCoSy

[Matildahoney]

It's been recommended I have a HyCoSy, I went for a scan yesterday CD14 to check my follicles match my amh, and was told I've already ovulated this month. Now I'm worried with the bank hols next month I may not get in early enough in my cycle. My cycles are 31 days like clockwork and periods last 3-4 days, while you can earlier than day 1 of your cycle to book in orc leave it to chance and keep everything crossed?!
Anyone's experiences of the procedure would be good too. Thanks!

Hi @Matildahoney I had a HyCosy this month on CD6 and ovulated on CD13, they recommend one between day 6-10, but you could have done at day 5 if you’ve stopped bleeding.
I actually found the Hycosy pretty much fine, except right at the end I did have a sharp cramp of pain. My tubes were open so don’t know if this makes a difference. Wasn’t as bad as I had prepared it to be, I did take paracetamol and ibuprofen beforehand though!

Hi @Cary88 thanks for replying! I guess they're used to getting people in ASAP with the procedure needing to be done when it does, I don't know if going private makes any difference either?!
Good to hear you didn't find it too bad, it sounds awful, I clenched when she was telling us about it 🤣 I've seen lots of people take codeine, but I can't take it, it makes me sick and dizzy so don't think I'd get through the procedure on it 😞 which is a little annoying!

@Matildahoney

I think it can at any stage after you stop bleeding. I had it done day 10 of my cycle.
To be honest it was absolutely awful but worth it as I got pregnant next cycle after so many years trying. ( my little bean didn't stick tho)
But it increases your chances by 30%

I had a hycosy very early in my cycle, I remember I was still bleeding but they said that was fine. I found it unbearably painful but I got pregnant the same cycle so worth it. I have a friend who got it done, fainted with the pain but got pregnant immediately as well. I always wonder if there's a correlation between pain and success. Both of us were told our tubes were open but I wonder if there wasn't a lot of gunk or something that the hycosy cleared out which made the difference. Good luck.

Oh my gosh, I found it so painful. And I've now been through childbirth! But someone else I know barely felt it, so I think it varies quite a lot. Don't be afraid to ask for pain relief if the first side is agonising. Good luck!

Happy to have found this thread! I've also been recommended Hycosy as male factor is normal and so is amh. Sounds like it can have positive effects on fertility from what you've said which is promising. But the pain doesn't sound ideal! Will be hearing more about it from the clinic next week and book in...

The specialist at the clinic said it seems to almost clear out the tubes and lots of people get pregnant naturally afterwards. She said it has to be done before a certain date in your cycle as if you've conceived in that cycle it would flush the embryo out.

I had one and I found it bearable a bit uncomfortable but about the same as a smear test I thought. I took some painkillers beforehand as recommended. I did get pregnant the same cycle but unfortunately miscarried that pregnancy weeks later for reasons not related to the procedure. I don’t mean to get your hopes up but I definitely think the test helped me get pregnant cos we were trying for almost a year with no hint of a bfp in that time. I really hope it works for you 😊

So sorry to hear about your loss @cornflakes86 that must have been really tough after trying for so long. Hope you get another bfp soon!!

ahh the more I hear the more hopeful it seems to have some positive benefits! Just missed the chance to have the procedure this cycle so atleast it gives some silver lining to the upcoming period! (Words I never thought would say 😐 🌈 )

@jessie92 thank you. Wishing you luck too.

Thanks all for your replies, hopefully it won't be too bad and I can get in in good time! And of course that it'll be successful!

Hi OP I also was super anxious after googling about the hycosy. In my experience it was only slightly uncomfortable and had moderate cramps afterwards, the procedure itself was no worse than a smear. My tubes were clear. I had been ttc for 2.5 years when I had it, fell pregnant 7 months after. Now have a 1 year old baby 🥰
Good luck xx

@Matildahoney hi, I had a hycosy last Thursday and just wanted to say I was dreading it and was so frightened but found it absolutely fine. Some slight cramping like a period but nothing more than that. Lasted about 30 mins and all tubes were clear which may have made a difference. I am hoping to start clomid next cycle x

Hi,

I had the hycosy last month. I absolutely riled myself up into a state of anxiety. I have a low pain threshold but honestly……it was uncomfortable and felt like a dull period pain but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Tubes were clear, no pregnancy yet but I’m hopeful.

I took a painkiller and a friend which I think helped as I had someone holding my hand and she even made a few naughty jokes which took my mind off it a little.

Afterwards for a few hours I felt a little bit tender but was totally ok. I was also worried about my first period post hycosy but was all normal.

Good luck xx

@kmbegs @cornflakes86 @cakebytheoceon could I just ask, was it definitely a HyCoSy you had?

The consultant I spoke to said there are different types of fallopian tube tests, and that HyCoSy (with ultrasound) has no evidence of increasing natural conception, but HSG (with x-ray) does.

From what I can see from a bit of googling, it may be because of the different fluids they use (HyCoSy uses water-based, HSG is oil-based).

Apparently you can only get HSG through the NHS, because it involves x-rays (maybe this is more heavily regulated?).

I'm trying to decide whether to get a HyCoSy myself - and the fact it might increase the chance of conception was really motivating me, but now I'm not so sure 😣. Just knowing for sure that a few of you have had better luck afterwards would be reassuring!

If anyone's interested, this was the most relevant paper I could find:
Effectiveness on fertility outcome of tubal flushing with different contrast media: systematic review and network meta-analysis
"In women with infertility undergoing fertility workup, tubal flushing using oil-based contrast medium probably increases clinical pregnancy rates within 6 months after randomization and may increase subsequent live-birth rates, compared with tubal flushing using water-based contrast medium and compared with no intervention."

100% it was a hycosy.

To balance things a little, I had the HSG and felt no pain or cramps at all. I was waiting for the procedure to start and then the doctor told me it was all done!

Oh and my pain threshold isn't high at all. I screamed during my last smear!

I fell pregnant 2 cycles later after 2 years TTC, though I was also on Clomiphene.

Mine was a hycosoy

@lollosmash although I haven't had it yet, I have had all the information from our consultant, it's definitely a HyCoSy, and she told us lots of people fall pregnanct afterwards.

i completed my masters dissertation on the comparison of HSG to HyCoSy.
Not many nhs trusts use HSG any more..
HyCoSy and HSG had similar pregnancy rate afterwards..
However.. there is a newer way forward called a HyFoSy which uses a foam like contrast instead of the liquid which is pushed through the tubes during ultrasound. The benefit with the foam is that it is more stable and sits in the tubes for longer allowing them to be visualised for a longer period of time (say 5 minutes compared to the very quick - blink and you’ll miss it - flush of the liquid). The HyFoSy is meant to be less painful than either the HSG or HyCoSy - which both had relatively the same pain scores on investigations. More Trusts are moving to the HyFoSy now as the costs were slightly also slightly lower.
the main benefit to HyCoSy / HyFoSy is that there is no radiation. HSG is quite an outdated procedure now however people with a history of PID and a few other contraindications cannot have HyCoSy or HyFoSy and will need to have an HSG.

Yea it was definitely a hycosy xx

@lollosmash I had a hsg

Just to add the info I’ve heard from Dr, the hycosy is said to increase chance of conception by around 70% in the first couple of months after, then going back down to 40% up to the end of the year. I’m having mine next week 😣 really hoping to be in that lucky group. Good luck to you all too! 🍀

@kmbegs @cornflakes86 @cakebytheoceon @MK85 thank you ❤That does give me some hope!

@Poppiesway1 that's really interesting, thank you! HyFoSy does seem like an improvement (not currently available at the clinic I'm at though 😕) and there are definite downsides to HSG. When you say "HyCoSy and HSG had similar conception rate afterwards", I guess there wasn't a control group to check whether they were any better than no intervention at all?

@jessie92 this is super encouraging. Also frustrating / tantalising though - those are such specific numbers, it makes me feel this must come from a study which should be published and findable. I guess not all scientific journals are available publically so I maybe that's how I'm missing something.

Overall I guess this is the first time I've had to use private medicine, and infertility is obviously such an emotional issue, that I'm wary of being taken advantage of / losing perspective in the fog of TTC. Or spending £450 on a test which I should just save up for IVF.

On the other hand, maybe £450 for a possible increased chance of conceiving naturally is worth the gamble, if it might avoid about the stress / cost of IVF. 😣

*

For anyone interested in what I managed to track down, I asked a friend who works in biotech and has access to more journals to have a look, and this summary of different papers was the most useful thing they
could find: Clinical Aspects of HyFoSy as Tubal Patency Test in Subfertility Workup - Table 1 - Enhancing Chance of Pregnancy

The studies range across HyFoSy, HSG and HyCoSy.

Of the two papers focussed on HyCoSy, the one with the larger number of participants (334) concluded there was "no enhanced pregnancy rate", and the one with the smaller number of participants (180) concluded "A possible beneficial effect of HyCoSy is feasible especially in the days following its execution" and noted a 45% pregnancy rate in the first 30 days. A possible glimmer of hope I guess, but I would tend to believe the study with the larger number of participants.

@lollosmash as far as I am aware you have to get the test anyway as part of the work up for ivf. I could be wrong though.