Michelle Emblenton, biochemist at inviTRA, tells us what the hysterosalpingography test consists of:
Well, the hysterosalpingography is one of the most important diagnostic tests in studying female fertility. The test itself involves taking a series of X-rays of the woman's uterus and fallopian tubes. In order to do this, a special iodized contrast die will be inserted into the uterus via a cannula and then a series of X-ays will be taken so we can actually visualize what the structure of the uterus and the fallopian tubes is like. In this way, we can check that the uterus is correct and the fallopian tubes are permeable, which means that they are open and the eggs and sperm and embryo can pass through them.
Unlike ultrasound, the hysterosalpingography is not a routinely performed test unless your doctor has specifically ordered it. Depending on your particular fertility clinic and the equipment and technology they have available, there is a further technique these days called hysterosalpingosonography which, as the name suggests, uses ultrasound instead of an X-ray machine in order to do this process. Using the specialist ultrasound equipment, a special liquid or perhaps even a foam may be inserted into the uterus via the cannula and then the progress of this studied using a transvaginal ultrasound. However, this is not readily available in all clinics.
