I would be grateful for some opinions here. I plan to ask my midwife on Tues when I go for a blood test, but wanted to ask here first.
I’m going a bit mad waiting for my hg levels for reach zero after methotrexate. I have done a bit of research and found that lots of ladies have a HSG test after an ectopic to see if their tubes are blocked. I had my first ectopic diagnosed a few weeks ago, and am wondering whether anyone else has had the test after one ectopic. My dr hasn’t mentioned it, but I thought I might ask.
I’m frustrated because my doctor said the ectopic would have damaged my tube, but couldn’t say how much. I’m thinking if it’s damaged… I’m going to have another ectopic? He said the it might travel through the other tube… But that doesn’t help me at all. That tube may be damaged too!
I tried ringing the ectopic trust helpline after a horrible afternoon of anxiety, but couldn’t get through. I also emailed about a week ago, but no reply. Any hosts out there, or anyone, I would appreciate a reply. I know you may not have the answers, but would just appreciate your thoughts. Should I peruse a hsg test, or just ttc later in the year and pray my tubes aren’t damaged?
Sorry - I’m not a host. But it seems to me that it would be very worthwhile having an HSG. The only downside is a small risk of infection. Not only can the test help to see if your tubes are clear - but sometimes it can even clear a minor blockage.
But I suppose some of it depends on if you intend to act on the results. Eg; if the test does tell you that the tube carrying the ep is blocked (either by the ep or before), then what will you do? Will you have the tube removed?
And if the test does show that both are very clear then that might help your anxiety a bit.
Just wondered if you had any joy with an HSG test? Im in the exact same position as you, 1st pregnancy Right tube ectopic treated with MTX and been advised Right tube is likely to be damaged due to EP.
My consultant refused HSG test, you have to have 2 ectopics or ttc for a year before NHS approve one but i can get one done privately for £425 if my GP refers me.
So sorry you have suffered an ectopic pregnancy, we are here to support you in any way we can. To answer your question:
A HSG test is a valuable test if you have been trying to conceive for a year and are not pregnant if you are under the age of 35, or six months if you are over the age of 35.
It could be that you don’t fit this criteria and doctors prefer not to use a HSG test unless they really need to because it is not a 100% accurate test. For example, if the fallopian tubes go into spasm during the test they can appear blocked even though this isn’t the case. The test can also not determine what the internal villi of the tube look like. Furthermore, it is an invasive test and there is a very small (1%) chance that it can cause infection of the fallopian tubes hence their preference to only perform the test when it is unquestionably required.
When an ectopic pregnancy is treated, the remaining tube is typically examined externally and the doctors would usually have told you if they had seen any problems with it at that time. If you would like peace of mind about this you could ask for a post-operative follow up appointment to ask whether they had looked at the condition of your fallopian tubes during the operation.
The examination is a pretty good indicator about the condition of your remaining tube(s) because it looks at:
1.The fimbriae – The fallopian tubes are not attached to the ovaries and, at the point of ovulation, some very delicate structures called the fimbriae begin to move gently creating a slight vacuum to suck the egg toward the end of the tube it is nearest to (like lots of little fingers waving and drawing the egg towards it).
2.Whether there are any adhesions (scar tissue).
3.Whether there is any thickening of the tube.
4.The shape of the tube.
As an aside, we are so sorry you haven’t been able to get through to us. We will get the webmaster to check whether there have been any email problems. We were aware the whole website went ‘down’ for a day over Easter due to a problem with the hosting company. If you would like us to telephone you or speak by email, please don’t hesitate to send an email to ept@ectopic.org.uk and we will email you back at a point convenient to yourself.
Thank you for your response, i didnt have an operation i was treated with methotrexate, i had a follow up with a consultant and was advised Laprascopy or HSG is only way the health of my tubes can be assessed but they wont perform this unless i have another ectopic OR have been ttc for a year.
Im going private to get the tests required, im not just trying again until i know more about the health of my tubes.
Just thought Id share my experiance with you. I had an ectopic some years ago. It was unexpected and resulted in removing that tube. However I’ve been trying again over the last 2 years and have had the HSG tests as part of my checks. Its a very simple but timed procedure. Blue fluid is inserted in to the tube whilst the doctor checks the screen to see if the fluid is going all the way though indicating that it is opened. It would feel like a really bad period pain!
I was told there and then that everything was okay with my last tube!
I think its deffinately important to have it done as It would prepare you in advance so you know if there is any point in trying to conveive natuarlly. I undersntand you not wanting to risk it.
Its a shame doctors haven’t offered you the prcedure and are waiting for it to happene again befor they can offer it.
Any ways, best of luck. I hope my reply has been able to help in anyway.
Thanks so much for your response, I’m definitely having the procedure done privately before ttc again.
There’s a fertility clinic near me that does couples fertility assessment, gyn consult and HSG for £900 which is a small price to pay if it can help us to make an informed choice when TTC again.
I know that no doctor can guarantee whether my next pregnancy will be ok but i would like to know all the facts before deciding if we should ttc again.
Hi Avis I too was very anxious to have the HSG test but as with you I was told I had to wait a year before having it. As I had two methotrexate shots we had a break from trying for 6 months anyway so decided to wait. When I did have it it was a very simple procedure.
In my case my ectopic side was blocked but my remaining tube she described as ‘the m25’ … To give you hope after my ectopic I did conceive again and I am now a mum to a healthy 2 year old
I did really worry about getting a hsg quite soon after my ep. As time has gone on though, I’m not as concerned about it. Fingers crossed that won’t come back to bite me!
Anyway, I’m in the first month of ttc since my ep, and have no plans to get the hsg. I decided that I wanted to give the statistics the benefit of the doubt, and give it ago. I also cake across lots of success stories of women conceiving safely after methotrexate and no hsg. So, most of the time it doesn’t worry me, but sometimes I feel like I’m playing Russian Roulette!
The dr told met her even if the hsg revealed my tube was blocked where I had the ep, with the other one clear, they’d still advise to try naturally before intervening. As I have none of the risk factors for ep, I’ve decided to take the risk.
None of the specialists I saw were remotely interested in referring me, unless I had another or hadn’t fallen preg within a year. If I had some spare money floating around, I might be tempted to go private. It would definitely put my mine at rest!!