Upon Further Review - An HSG Result Update

This blog is called "The Sea of TTC" for a reason. We were floating along yesterday and got sideswiped by an unexpected wave. It didn't tip us over, but we're a little less steady that we were before.

I received a call from my doctor yesterday. Apparently, the radiologist reviewed the results of my HSG again and noticed signs of abrasions (scar tissue) on the right side. Since the dye traveled through correctly during the test, the doctors are confident that the tube is not fully blocked. The scar tissue could be a sign of endometriosis, but doesn't look like it could be enough to cause infertility. Either way, the other side shows no signs of scar tissue.

So, what does this new information tell us? Good question. Basically, my doctor doesn't think our plan should change at this point. We still plan to check hormone levels in a few weeks. After that, we might try Clomid. However, if hormone levels are normal, no other red flags appear, and conception still does not occur, we may be faced with more invasive testing. First, we would probably do another ultrasound. If the ultrasound seems to also show scar tissue on the right side, our next step would be a laparoscopy.

Laparoscopy is one of those procedures we said we probably wouldn't do. It's an actual surgery involving anesthesia, incisions, and inflating the abdomen. Basically, it's a "let's get in there and see what's going on" procedure. On top of being very invasive and somewhat extreme, the procedure would be expensive. According to my estimations, our infertility expenses have already reached about $2,000 (the ultrasound was around $675, and the HSG was $900+ before insurance). The laparoscopy would be $1,000 to $5,000, although we don't know how much our insurance might cover. That money could be a great start to an adoption fund. In addition, the laparoscopy might not even fix anything. There is a chance they could open me up and find nothing interesting. So then, we would have spent a lot of money and put my body through surgery for nothing.

So, how much money should we spend and how much should we mess with my body? We don't know. Thankfully, we don't have to decide today. Maybe we will find a hormone problem. Maybe Clomid would work. If it doesn't, we will have some very difficult decisions to make.

I told C that I had two greatest fears in this process: 1) That we would receive the "unexplained infertility" diagnosis  2) That we would be presented with a next step and choose to walk away. While I am prepared to walk away if IVF ever becomes our only option, this one would be a little less clear.

And so, the process continues.